Two young women defy norms to marry in West Bengal's Sundarbans temple, village rallies behind them

Kultali (WB): In a quiet hamlet deep inside Sundarbans, where mangrove forests guard a maze of rivers and traditions run long and deep, two young women stood before a village temple and chose each other for life.

Professional dancers Riya Sardar and Rakhi Naskar, both in their early twenties, tied the knot at the Paler Chak temple in Jalaberia in Kultali block, on November 4 in a ceremony that drew hundreds of villagers who ululated, blew conch shells and blessed the couple.

In a country where same sex marriages have no legal sanction and the issue still pending before the Supreme Court, the wedding was a quiet rebellion rooted more in affection than activism. It unfolded in a socially conservative part of the Sundarbans, where such public assertions are unusual.

Yet on that afternoon, the temple courtyard shimmered with colour and curiosity as Riya, dressed as the bride, and Rakhi, wearing a groom's crown, exchanged garlands (mala badal) and took sacred vows. A priest conducted all rituals.

Villagers watched, some surprised, many silently accepting.

"We have taken vows to become life partners," Riya, from Rameshwarpur in Mandirbazar, told reporters.

Rakhi, who hails from Bakultala police station area, asked, "We are adults. We can decide our lives. Why should gender matter while choosing a life partner?"

Riya said she lost her parents at a young age and was raised by her aunt Kavita Koyal, who was stunned at first but did not oppose her decision. She studied up to high school and works as a dancer.

Rakhi, who studied up to class nine and performs in a local dance troupe, said, "Despite pressure from my farming family, I decided to marry only the person I truly love."

The two met on social media, exchanged numbers, and spent long hours talking despite curious glances from neighbours. Later, they joined the same dance group, where "our friendship became something else, deepening into love," they said, sitting side by side after the ceremony.

The village rallied around them.

"We all came together to help our two daughters start their new life," Milan Sardar, a local, said.

"Everyone chipped in. After the rituals, both sides enjoyed a feast of chicken and rice, just like any other wedding," he added.

For some, the sight of a same-sex wedding inside a Hindu temple was unexpected. For others, it was simply a celebration of courage and companionship.

"It was beautiful," said Ankur Basu, a social activist visiting the area for sanitation and health work.

"This wasn't an act of protest. It was two people choosing each other," he added.

Police said they had no official report of the event.

"Nobody approached us. If villagers attend a temple function peacefully, we have nothing to do," an official said.

As the conch shells fell silent and villagers walked back home, Riya and Rakhi stood close, fingers intertwined, stepping into a future shaped by their own choices.