LONDON, Dec 10 — When Rishabh Rajput and Sonali Chouksey shared photos of their wedding last month, they expected messages of congratulations.
Instead, their happiest moment was hijacked by a torrent of online abuse, with trolls mocking the groom for his darker skin and labelling the bride a “gold-digger”, forcing the couple to take a public stand against India’s deep-seated colourism, BBC reported.
The couple, from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, have since gone viral for their powerful response, turning a moment of personal pain into a national conversation.
Happy moment hijacked
After 11 years together, the couple married on Nov 23. But when their wedding photos appeared online, they were met with cruel “jokes and memes.”
Rishabh was shamed for his “darker skin colour,” while Sonali was accused of marrying him “for his money” or a secure government job.
“It was our moment... but when I saw people’s reactions, I was really shocked,” Rishabh told BBC Hindi.
“In so many years that we have been together, no-one had ever told us that we were a mismatch.”
Sonali admitted the comments “bothered” her. “When they say nasty things about him or call me a gold-digger, it irritates me,” she said.
In a direct response to the trolls, Rishabh took to Instagram.
“Sorry to disappoint you. I’m not a government employee, but I work hard for my family,” he wrote, adding that his wife had stood by him since his college days when he had nothing.
He said the trolling crossed a line when it began to target his mother and sisters.
“You are a nobody. And you have no right to target anyone’s family,” he declared.
The couple’s story began in a college zoology class in 2014, and their relationship blossomed a year later.
“Those who are commenting on our relationship by looking at a 30-second video don’t know that it captures 11 years of hard work that we have put into it,” said Rishabh.
A broader message
The couple is now using their newfound platform to challenge the prejudice they faced. “About 70-80 per cent of people in India have darker skin tones, but the Indian mentality is that fairer is better. It’s time to change that notion,” Rishabh said.
Sonali added, “Fair skin doesn’t necessarily make someone a good person. So, how can we judge someone on the basis of their skin colour?”
As for the trolls who call them a mismatch, Rishabh has a simple, powerful message.
“When you look at us, do we look even remotely unhappy to you? We don’t. Because we have what most people don’t have. I have her and she has me.”
