I found this today in The Times of India (I left out the paragraph where the writer called this an “unnatural marriage.” The Times is regularly homophobic.). Despite the writer’s obvious opprobrium, I think the sweetness of the story shines through:

“Sources said that Kamla and Vimla (names changed), the girls from village Arvat and Padoli respectively, came close to each other some four years back while studying in Chandrapur. The friendship between Kamla (19), an intermediate student, and Vimla, a graduate, reportedly turned into a lesbian relationship a couple of years back even as both the families considered them just close friends, sources said.

Reports said that since childhood Vimla used to behave and dress up like boys, and even took on the name ‘Rohit’. Both the girls spent hours together at each others’ homes, however family members did not have any clue about their lesbian relationship, sources said.

Some days back the two girls shocked their families by expressing their desire to tie the nuptial knot. The families initially resisted the decision but surrendered to the will of their children. Vimla’s brother Amar told scribes that the two were married at a religious place in Bhadrawati a few days back. Presently, Kamla is living at Vimla’s home in Padoli.

“Such relationship and marriage is against the ethos and traditions of Hindu religion, and we will steadfastly oppose it. The brother of one of the two girl has confessed to tying their nuptial knot,” said Ramesh Tiwari, head of the local Sena unit.

A group of Shiv Sainiks led by Tiwari, Rajendra Allewar and district women’s president Kusum Udar staged a protest in front of the Padoli police outpost on Monday demanding immediate action against the two families.”

Homosexuality is illegal in India, though it is no longer aggressively prosecuted. There is no legal recognition of same-sex couples under Indian law.  However, since 1987, there have been sporadic reports of women marrying each other. Marriages in India require no license from the state – most are performed through religious rites alone.

From Wikipedia:

“Family reactions [of gay marriages] range from support to disapproval to violent persecution. While police generally harass such couples, Indian courts have uniformly upheld their right, as adults, to live with whomever they wish. In recent years, some of these couples have appeared on television as well. There have also been numerous joint suicides by same-sex couples, mostly female (male-female couples also resort to suicide or to elopement and religious marriage when their families oppose their unions).”