Rishabh Rajput and Sonali Chouksey fell in love in a college zoology class 11 years ago. Last month, they finally celebrated their long-awaited wedding in Madhya Pradesh, sharing vibrant photos and videos of their joyful ceremonies online.
But their moment of happiness was swiftly poisoned. Congratulatory messages were soon buried under a barrage of cruel “jokes and memes” from trolls who zeroed in on one thing: their skin tones. Critics mocked Mr. Rajput for his darker complexion and suggested Ms. Chouksey, who is fairer, must have married him for money—labeling her a “gold-digger” who was under “some compulsion.”
“I was really shocked,” Mr. Rajput told BBC Hindi from Jabalpur. “It was our moment, and we had waited for it so many years. In all our years together, no one had ever told us we were a mismatch.”
The trolling taps into India’s deep-seated obsession with fair skin—a bias with often tragic consequences. The couple, both private-sector employees, found themselves reeling. “When they say nasty things about him or call me a gold-digger, it irritates me,” Ms. Chouksey admitted.
Rather than hide, they confronted the hate head-on. Their defiant response—including an Instagram post where Mr. Rajput wrote, “Sorry to disappoint you. I work hard for my family”—has made them symbols of quiet resistance.
“What people see in a 30-second video is 11 years of hard work,” Mr. Rajput said. “Those commenting don’t know our story.” Now sought by local media, the couple is rewriting a viral narrative of prejudice into one of dignity and enduring love.
By James Kisoo
