Shyam Konnur and Ram (Sriram) Sridharhave a trailblazing love story. They met at a Pride event in Bangalore India and sparks ignited. Their first attempt at a date was thwarted when Sham was assaulted and hospitalized. Despite their obstacles they fell in love and decided to get married out of necessity to protect their relationship in the event of medical reasons, potential legalities and furthermore to prove that their love was meaningful and to be taken seriously. However, same sex marriage is not recognized in India. There were risks associated with ‘such a wedding’ in India. Hall owners were afraid of consequences for hosting their wedding and both grooms feared potential retaliation in a resistant culture of same sex relationships up until their wedding day. But they beat the odds and were united amongst friends, family and loved ones on June 13, 2025 and included ceremonies that respected both their religious backgrounds and traditions. We dive deep into their relationship, their reasoning for getting married and how their marriage has put a huge spotlight on them as they both felt it was important that their wedding be open and public despite the risks. Both men are award winning activists and run an organization called MIST- a non profit dedicated to empowering the LGBTQI+ community and promotes safe love by creating a safe space and awareness. We also talk about the lack and misrepresentation of the Queer community in Bollywood and media adding to the isolation of Queer existence in India. They both share the challenges within the context of Pride and it’s movement in India because there are different interpretations of what Pride means which they feel in some cases have lost the true purpose of its origin and creation. Shyam and Ram are also working at improving HIV testing access, prevention, and helping changing the stigma about HIV and living with HIV. Ram is the current national producer of the Mr Gay India pageant show and Vice Chairperson of Board of Directors for Mr Gay Universe. Shyam has been titled with Mr Gay India in the year 2020. The pageantry goes beyond beauty and at its core is about creating leaders in activism for the LGBTQI+ community and winners must successfully demonstrate the impact of their leadership in it's change.
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Shyam Konnur TedTalk
Ram (Sriram) Sridhar Instagram
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