Love AGAINST ALL ODDS

Circumstances brought them together, love kept them with one another, and respect has given them the impetus to grow alongside each other. The individuals on these pages have faced struggles - both internal and societal - to be with the person they love. We are inspired...

"Love is accepting the person for who they are"

DANIEL BAUER and TYRONE BRAGANZA BAUER married in Germany in 2019, and are raising their daughter together

TYRONE: "We first met at a club in 2013. We came with different sets of friends and were drinking and enjoying the music, but we kept looking at each other. We managed to speak with each other at the bar while buying drinks and started texting each other after that. Our relationship remained between us. We spent evenings having dinner and wine nights, watching movies, taking long walks, etc. We did not define our relationship, but we knew we had a special bond. I realised pretty soon into our relationship that I wanted this to work out. I found Daniel to be kind and loving. He always knew how to make me feel better when I was down. That was the realisation that I wanted him to be the one. Marriage was a big step.

And, although we talked about it, we did not tell family and friends until we had fixed a date. Daniel asked me to ask his family for their blessings. When they came to see me on the cruise ship, I was intimidated, but I asked his parents if they would let me be part of their family. Daniel asked my mum for her blessings, too. Soon, we told family and friends over texts, calls and some through social media. On July 6, 2019, we got married in a church in Germany. We had an Indian ceremony for all our family and friends who could not come. We followed all the Vedic rituals except the kanyadaan, which did not apply to us.

The exchanging of vows at our Christian wedding was something we treasured and was significant in keeping our relationship going. Our relationship has gotten stronger with time. We have a daughter we love dearly. For us, every day is an expression of commitment."