GIRLS, UNINTERRUPTED
Mumbai
Finding love was not on top of her list when Meghna, a 30-year-old school teacher, moved to Mumbai from a small town in Uttarakhand to study. She saw it more as a career challenge. When she bumped into Anandita at a film festival hosted by a queer group in Mumbai, though, she could not deny the instant attraction she felt for her.
Anandita was 34, a photographer from Kolkata who had moved to the city to earn a living. Like Meghna, she too was dealing with demons of relationships gone sour. But they clicked—over films, dinners and travel. After a year of seeing each other, Anandita moved in with Meghna. They have been together for six years now. “I didn’t think we would be together this long. Finding a soulmate is not easy, especially in such a big a city. I think Meghna and I clicked because we both felt the desire to stick together,” says Anandita.
While Anandita’s father has accepted their relationship, it’s not always easy, the couple says, to live a “normal life” in a homophobic society. “Not having any partnership rights makes it difficult for couples to settle down. Recently we were looking to buy a house together but the bank only acknowledges either blood or marital relationships,” says Anandita.
For Meghna, what hurts is the lack of acknowledgement of their relationship, from anyone other than friends. “It makes it harder to cope in difficult situations. Besides this the fact that we are considered only good friends by my parents is something I have to deal with daily. They expect me to find a partner in someone else, a man. I want to be able to tell them I have already found my partner,” she says.
The two get away with living together as friends, for now—and sharing their lives. They hang out at Carter Road promenade, discos, pubs, and at friends’ parties. They have to be careful when they are in public. “Two lesbians may face discrimination when they are seen as a couple. You get harassed on the street the moment you are affectionate or intimate with a same-sex partner,” she says.
Meghna is a foodie and loves to go to restaurants that serve authentic cuisine. When they travel, she is always interested in where they will eat. Both end up cooking for each other and Anandita has taught Meghna many dishes. The former is a big film buff though her taste in horror films doesn’t impress Meghna.
Do they fight, we ask? “Yes,” they say together. Sometimes it is about ideological stuff or strategies of fighting for queer rights. Since they are both opinionated, neither backs down for the longest time. They also fight when jealous. “Are you so interested in her that you do not want to spend time with me?”
What does the future hold for them? “Not marriage but we hope to move into a new home. Get a dog and maybe later on raise a child,” says Meghna.

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