After 377: A love against the odds in Bundelkhand

Deepshikha Shrivas and Abhilasha Sakya, who live in Hamirpur, Uttar Pradesh, first met as 16-year-olds when the latter would travel to the former’s village. Today, six years later, they've battled social and familial pressures, and decided to come out, marry and start a life together. The reading down of the draconian Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code has given them courage, and Srivas and Sakya are now working towards getting their "same-sex union" registered in the Hamirpur district court. They hope to find work, settle down and adopt children together. By Khabar Lahariya, a rural network with a team of local women reporting on issues in the heartland.