Gay Indian Couple Hold A Traditional Wedding Ceremony In A Hindu Temple, Inspire Same-Sex Couples Everywhere

Published 5 years ago

Choreographer Amit Shah and photographer Aditya Madiraju recently celebrated a special day – their wedding. Now, this was no ordinary wedding – the couple held a vivid and colorful traditional Hindu ceremony in a New Jersey Hindu temple and their magical wedding photos captured by photographer Charmi Peña quickly went viral.

In an interview with Bored Panda, the photographer said she knew she was documenting something big for the Indian community. After releasing the photos, she received tons of positive messages from the LGBTQ community, saying her amazing photos are giving them hope.

More info: Instagram | Charmi Peña

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Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

“I’m excited of course — but mostly happy that people are seeing them,” said the photographer. “Representation matters, and knowing how seeing themselves reflected is helping people, is so fulfilling for me.”

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

“I have a bit of a bad memory. But when I see photos I remember everything: the smells, the sounds — the emotions. Photography lets me give that to others,” said Charmi.

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

Both Amit and Aditya are practicing Hindus so traditions are very important to them. The couple has been dating for a few years and officially filled out the paperwork for a civil union in New York City at the beginning of 2019. They held the wedding ceremony on the 19th of July. The couple’s matching kurtas were designed by Anita Dongre.

“We didn’t realize the impact a simple wedding at a temple would have on people around the world looking for hope,” wrote the grooms on Instagram.

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

“We met three years ago in a small lower east side bar for a friend’s birthday. Since that night, we have been together,” said Shah in an interview with Vogue India. “Although we have completely different personalities, thanks to our similar interests we hit it off instantly.

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

Even though same-sex marriage is still not legal in India, Amit and Aditya’s story gives hope that one day marrying your loved one despite their gender might become reality.

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

Image credits: Charmi Pena Photography

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One day, this guy just kind of figured - "I spend most of my time on the internet anyway, why not turn it into a profession?" - and he did! Now he not only gets to browse the latest cat videos and fresh memes every day but also shares them with people all over the world, making sure they stay up to date with everything that's trending on the web. Some things that always pique his interest are old technologies, literature and all sorts of odd vintage goodness. So if you find something that's too bizarre not to share, make sure to hit him up!

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Aditya Madiraju, Amit Shah, Charmi Peña, couple, gay couple, gay Hindu wedding, Hindu wedding, India, indian, Indian wedding, LGBT, LGBTQ, marriage, New Jersey, New Jersey Hindu temple, New Jersey temple, photographer, photos, traditional Hindu wedding, traditional Hindu wedding ceremony
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