Love Story of a Hindu Indian and Muslim Pakistani

After waking up, still, laying in our love bed, we kissed each other, Good Morning. We had big smiles on our faces. This was high time. We knew that any time Shan’s father would arrive to take him to the mosque with him. We quickly dressed up. Our clothes got all mixed up, especially, the undergarments. Before we could have dressed up, the knocking on the door began. It was Shan’s father. I still didn’t know his name. Shan started panicking, dressed up and quickly, opened the door. He greeted his father and they left together. I was a little disappointed. I wanted to wish him, Good Bye, with a kiss. But there was no time for my disappointment as well. I too had a class to attend. I went to my classes. The entire day went as expected. I returned, took some rest, prepared my dinner and had it in the kitchen alone. I was hoping that Shan might join me today or would come to meet me here. Finally, he arrived. It was when I was about to return to my room. My face cheered up instantly. 

Shan: “I missed you so much, Love. I really enjoyed submitting myself to you yesterday. I felt so much relieved to let go of my control and let you take charge.”

I: “I'm glad to hear that, Love. I love seeing you surrender yourself to me and trust me to take care of you.” 

Shan: “It's not always easy for me to let go. I’m a very dominant man.”

I: “I understand. But with me, you can be who you truly are. There's no need to hide or pretend. We can experiment with different things together.”

Shan: “That's true. I feel safe with you, and I trust you completely. It's such a relief to be able to be myself around you.”

I: “That's exactly what I want for you, Love. To be yourself and to experience pleasure in a way that feels good for you.”

Shan: “I do feel pleasure with you. It's like nothing I've ever experienced before.”

I: “And you deserve to feel pleasure, Love. You deserve to be taken care of and to experience all the pleasure and joy that life has to offer.”

Shan: “Thank you for taking care of me. I love you, Madhav.”

I: “I am falling in love with you, Shan. And I'll always be here to take care of you and to make sure you feel safe and loved.”

We were looking into each other’s eyes during this entire conversation and were holding each other. We forgot that the rest of the world even existed. We forgot that we were in the common kitchen. We started kissing passionately. We were in bliss. 

Suddenly, we heard the scream of Shan’s father. He was standing right in front of us in the kitchen. He saw everything. Shan and I were tongue-deep into each other’s mouths. After realising this, Shan instantly pushed me away from him. I was about to fall down but I balanced myself. There was sheer fear and panic in Shan’s eyes. Now, I was terrified. 

Shan’s father was screaming God’s name: “Allah! Allah! Allah!”

I saw Shan’s face and felt that he could faint anytime due to this extreme shock. His body was heavily shaking in fear. I, immediately, held his hand to comfort him. I requested him to calm down. I felt that he was unable to understand anything I was saying but he held my hand tightly. A couple of minutes passed. Shan’s father too calmed down a little bit. He was at least not screaming his lungs out. 

Shan's Father screamed: “What is wrong with you? You are a disgrace to our family!”

Shan with his depressed voice: “What have I done wrong?”

Shan's Father, in his loud voice: “You know very well what you've done! You are a homosexual! How could you be so selfish and shameful to choose to live this way?”

Shan: “I don't even know if I'm gay or not. I was experimenting with Madhav. I feel a deep attraction towards him. I have never felt this way before. And, Abba, being gay is not a choice! I didn't choose to be this way any more than you chose to be straight! It is a part of who I am, just like the colour of my skin or the shape of my eyes.”

Shan's Father: “Don't try to twist this around! You have betrayed our family and everything we stand for as Muslims! Do not try to justify your actions with Western ideas and beliefs.”

Shan: “Betrayed? How have I betrayed anyone? I have been true to myself, and I haven't hurt anyone.”

Shan's Father: “You've hurt me! You've hurt your mother! We raised you to be a good Muslim man, and now you're an embarrassment to our family! You have been influenced by Western culture and have turned away from Islam.”

Shan: “I am still a good Muslim man! Being gay doesn't change that! Abba, please try to understand. I have not turned away from Islam. I am still a Muslim, and I still believe in Allah.”

Shan's Father: “You are delusional. Allah created man and woman to be together, not man and man or woman and woman.”

Shan: “Abba, Allah created me too, and I am still his creation. I have not chosen to be gay, but I have chosen to accept who I am.”

Shan's Father: “It's a sin! It's haram! You're going against Allah and everything Islam stands for!”

Shan: “No, I'm not! Islam teaches us to be kind and loving to all people, regardless of their differences! It teaches us to be tolerant and accepting!”

Shan's Father: “You're twisting the teachings of Islam to suit your own selfish desires! You know very well that homosexuality is a sin!”

Shan: “I'm not twisting anything! I'm just trying to be true to myself! And I thought my own father would understand and love me for who I am!”

Shan's Father: “How could I love you when you're going against everything I believe in? You've brought shame to our family, and I don't know how we'll ever recover from this!”

Shan: “You talk about shame? You're the one who can't accept his own son for who he is! You're the one who's turning his back on his own flesh and blood!”

Shan's Father: “How dare you! You have no right to talk to me like that!”

Shan: “I have every right! I'm your son, and I deserve your love and acceptance, no matter what!”

Shan's Father: “I can't accept this! I won't accept this! You need to change your ways and repent for your sins!”

Shan (Crying): “I can't change who I am, Abba! I won't apologize for being true to myself! And if that means you can't accept me, then so be it! But know that I will always love you, even if you can't love me for who I am.”

Shan started weeping and ran away from the kitchen. I, too, ran after him. I was trying to stop him but he wasn’t listening to me. We reached the nearby park. He sat on the bench and started weeping loudly. I was very concerned for him. I tried to console him but all my efforts went in vain. At least fifteen minutes passed. 

Shan: "I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe my father would disown me just because I'm gay."

I: "I'm so sorry, Love. I can't imagine how hard this must be for you."

Shan: "It's just so unfair. I didn't choose to be gay. Why can't he accept me for who I am?"

I: "Because he's stuck in his ways. He can't see past his own beliefs to see that you're still the same person you've always been."

Shan: "I don't know what to do now. I can't go back home, not after what he said."

I: "You don't have to go back home. You have me now. You can stay with me."

Shan: "But what about my family? What about my mother and my siblings?"

I: "We'll figure it out. We'll find a way to make things work. And maybe one day, they'll come around and accept you."

Shan: "I hope so. I just can't believe this is happening. I never thought my own family would turn their back on me like this."

I: "You're not alone, Love. I'm here for you."

Shan: "I love you so much. Thank you for being here for me, for loving me for who I am."

I: "I love you too. And I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

Shan: "I know. I just wish things were different."

I: "We can't change the past, but we can build a better future together. And we will, I promise you that."

Shan hugged him tightly and then started kissing me passionately. He completely forgot that we were in a public park and kissing in front of everyone. I comforted him and held his hand. I requested him to come to my room and stay for the night. I promised him that I would talk to his father in this regard tomorrow. We arrived in my room, got naked and slept in each other’s arms in our love bed. 

At least an hour passed. Shan fell asleep. I couldn’t sleep at all. My mind was over analysing everything that had happened, “How will this impact our lives? Will Shan’s parents involve my parents? Will my parents disown me for being gay?“ My mind was about to explode. I decided to take a walk outside to relax. I dressed up and went outside my room. I observed that Shan’s parents were talking to each other. I couldn’t stop myself and I started overhearing their conversation. The best part was I could hear each and every word. My heart was pounding so fast.

Shan's Father: "I can't believe this is happening. Our son is gay and in love with an Indian Hindu man? We are from Pakistan, mother fucker!"

Shan's Mother: "Please calm down. I know, it's so hard to take in. We never expected this to happen."

Shan's Father: "And to think that he had the audacity to kiss him in the Common area. How could he do this to us?"

Shan's Mother: "He's still our son. We can't just turn our backs on him."

Shan's Father: "I can never forget the shame he's brought upon our family. What will people think when they find out?"

Shan's Mother: "We can't worry about what others think. We need to support our son and help him through this difficult time."

Shan's Father: "How can we support him when he's making such a terrible mistake? He's throwing away his life and our family's honour."

Shan's Mother: "He thinks that he is in love. We can't force him to switch off his feelings instantly."

Shan's Father: "But what about our traditions and our religion? How can we just ignore that?"

Shan's Mother: "Our traditions and religion are important, but so is our son's happiness. We need to find a way to balance both."

Shan's Father: "I don't know if I can do that. This is too much for me to handle."

Shan's Mother: "I understand that it's hard, but we can't turn our backs on our son. He needs us now more than ever."

Shan's Father: "I don't know if I can ever accept this. It's just too much to bear."

Shan's Mother: "We'll take it one day at a time. And we'll do it together, as a family. You cancel your return ticket. I will return home tomorrow with our daughters as per our plan and you will stay here with our son. I will take care of our business."

Shan’s Father: “Yes, you’re right.”

I returned to my room, got naked and slept with Shan. The next morning arrived. We woke up. There was no smile on his face. I smiled at him and he responded with a fake smile. Fortunately, we had no classes today. I requested him to get ready so that we could make our breakfast. We had our breakfast together in our room. After that I requested him to take a rest in the room, meanwhile, I would go and talk to his father. I knocked on the door of Shan’s room. His father quickly opened the door. His father, Majid, was a very handsome man. He seemed like a regular gym guy just like his son, tall and muscular body. He was about fifty years old. This was the very first time I was properly able to see him.

I: “Namaste, Uncle. I'm sorry to bother you, but I wanted to talk to you about your son.”

Shan's Father: “Wa alaykum as-salam. You should have said, "Assalamualaikum". Anyways, How will you know? You're a Hindu and an Indian. I have nothing to say to you. My son is dead to me.”

I: “I understand how you feel, but I love your son and I want to make sure he's okay.”

Shan's Father: “Love? Hahaha. You know nothing about love. You're just a pervert who's leading my son astray.”

I: “I can assure you that I have nothing but the best intentions for your son. We love each other and we want to be together.”

Shan's Father: “That's impossible. My son is a Muslim and you're a Hindu. It goes against everything we believe in.”

I: “Love knows no religion or boundaries. And your son is still a Muslim. His faith doesn't change just because he's gay.”

Shan's Father: “He's brought shame upon our family. We can never accept him or his lifestyle.”

I: “Your son is still your son, no matter what. And he needs your love and support now more than ever. He's been through so much already.”

Shan's Father: “I can't just forget what he's done. He's broken our hearts and our trust.”

I: “I know it's hard, but please try to understand. Your son is still the same person he's always been. He just loves differently than what you expected.”

Shan's Father: “I'll never be able to accept this. And you, Get Out!”

I: “Thank you for hearing me out. And please know that I will always take care of your son, no matter what.”

I couldn’t believe the things I told his father. My words just came directly from my heart. I returned to my room. I entered the room and saw that Shan was looking at me with puppy eyes. He was hoping against the hope. I smiled and told him in my soft voice, “This will take some time. We will fix this together. Don’t worry. Have patience.” He simply nodded in disappointment. I went near him and kissed him. We lost balance and fell down on the floor. We started laughing.