From pain to love: Gorakhpur women defy norms, marry each other

Viral news: In a daring act against domestic violence, two women from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Kavita and Gunja, who go by the alias Bablu, deserted their alcoholic husbands to get married to each other. They got married at the Shiva Temple in Deoria on Thursday, which is also known as Choti Kashi, where they vowed to begin a new life of love and peace away from the trauma of the past.

The struggle for similar pain: A journey from torture to love

Kavita and Gunja said that they decided to get married after going through shared humiliation and harassment experiences. Both of them, who have been suffering for years, were tormented by their respective husbands. After linking up with each other on Instagram, these two women got closer. According to the victims when asked by the media, "We were tortured by our husbands' drinking and abusive behavior.". This forced us to opt for a life of love and peace. We have taken the decision to live in Gorakhpur as a couple and work towards sustaining ourselves.

A quiet but powerful ceremony

It was a small yet symbolic wedding. Gunja groomed Kavita by putting sindoor on her forehead, exchanging garlands, and performed the seven sacred pheras of Hindu marriage under the eyes of the temple priest Uma Shankar Pandey, who confirmed that both women purchased garlands and sindoor, executed their rituals, and sneaked away to start their new journey.

Preparation for new life

This newlywed couple plans to acquire a room in Gorakhpur, where they will spend the rest of their lives without reminding shadows of their abusive past. Its story has featured as one of the bold statements against domestic violence, the bravery of those who offer love and respect against all adversities in society.

A parallel incident of defiance

In another case from Uttar Pradesh, a woman in Raebareli, identified as Bimla Devi, confessed to strangulating her abusive husband, Narsingh Yadav, after enduring eight years of assault fueled by his alcoholism. Bimla’s anger stemmed from Narsingh selling her anklets, a gift from her parents. She was arrested following a complaint by Narsingh’s first wife, Pushpa Devi.