The story of Ankit Saxena, the resilience and wisdom of his parents and their commitment to humanity brings immense hope in these strange times.
THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY with a happily-ever-after, though it could easily have been. This is a story about love trumping hate, of resilience in the face of unimaginable tragedy, the triumph of sanity, liberalism and tolerance over bigotry and partisanship, and the victory of rationality over unreason. This is a story of hope, breaking the binary of life and death. This is the story of Ankit Saxena. He was murdered in February this year, yet he lives on.
A young man, just shy of turning 24, Ankit was the only child of parents Yashpal, 59, and Kamlesh, 42, and the sole earning member in their lower-middle-class household. A wedding photographer by profession, with youthful optimism, he dreamt of running a studio and having a business of his own. Growing up he was shaped by the internet, and he made funny, sometimes silly, videos with his friends that have now been viewed over nine million times on YouTube. In the prime of his life, he should have had many productive years ahead of him. That right was taken away from him. Why? He dared to love someone outside his community.
Ankit met Shehzadi as a teenager. They had been neighbours in a housing development in west Delhi’s Raghubir Nagar for a decade, where the residents are a composite of different faiths, communities and social backgrounds. There are a few inter-faith couples, too, which lends an air of progressiveness to this tight-knit community. They were friends for years before they fell in love. Their families, unaware of their intimacy, were on cordial terms.
この記事は Reader's Digest India の August 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Reader's Digest India の August 2018 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
From the King's Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi
Pushpesh Pant, one of India’s pre-eminent food writers, is back with a comprehensive food history of the capital.
Who Wants Coffee?
It’s bitter—but beloved around the world
Prevent The Pain Of Shingles
You don't have to suffer, as long as you take two important steps
The Best And Worst Diets For Your Heart
Dozens of diets are touted as ‘best’, but it’s easy to lose track of the fact that healthy eating needs to be about overall wellness, not just weight loss.
ME & MY SHELF
Journalist Sopan Joshi has worked in a science and environment framework for nearly three decades. His book Mangifera indica: A Biography of the Mango (Aleph Book Company) synthesizes the sensory appeal of India's favourite fruit with its elaborate cultural roots and natural history. He writes in English and Hindi.
SWITCHED
In 1962, nurses at a small Canadian hospital sent home two women with the wrong babies. Then, 50 years later, their children discovered the shocking mistake.
ECHOES OF THE PAST
A VISIT TO THE ANCIENT BARABAR CAVES IN BIHAR REVEALS A SURPRISING CONNECTION TO A LITERARY CLASSIC
Fathers of the Bride
A young woman finds a unique way to honour the many men who helped her survive her childhood
Fiction's Foresight
British-Bangladeshi author Manzu Islam's works reveal startling parallels to recent political upheavals in Bangladesh, begging the question: Besides helping us make sense of our world, can stories also offer a glimpse into the future?
It Happens ONLY IN INDIA
The Divine Defence Picture this: A tractor in Rajasthan‘s Banswara district,a group of loan agents closing in to seize it and the defaulting farmer and his family standing by.
