Bengaluru, March 18, 2026 – In a heartwarming testament to evolving societal attitudes and the enduring power of love, Bengaluru residents Sougata Basu and Mayank Kalra have built a thriving family that challenges traditional notions of parenthood. The same-sex couple, who met over a decade ago, now share their home with their twin children, both sets of grandparents, and even their beloved pets, creating a blended, multi-generational household filled with joy and mutual support.
Sougata Basu, a retail professional, and Mayank Kalra, a SAP architect, first connected in 2010 (some accounts cite September 2012) through a gay dating website, at a time when openly discussing homosexuality in India remained taboo and Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code criminalized same-sex relations. What began as friendship quickly blossomed into a committed relationship. Both hailing from small-town backgrounds—Sougata with Bengali roots and Mayank Punjabi—they bonded over shared values, career ambitions, and close family ties.
For years, the couple lived together in Bengaluru, gradually opening up to their families. They first came out to their sisters around five years into their relationship, receiving warm acceptance. A year later, they shared their truth with their parents. While initial reactions involved confusion and adjustment, love prevailed. Family members eventually embraced the couple, drawn by their happiness and dedication to each other.
The couple always dreamed of fatherhood. In 2020, they pursued surrogacy—a path available to them at the time—through IVF. In June 2021, they welcomed twins: a boy named Yatharv and a girl named Saiksha. Sougata is lovingly called "Daddy," while Mayank is "Papa." The arrival of the children marked a profound shift. As Sougata shared in interviews, two men who had never held infants suddenly mastered feeding, burping, sleepless nights, and lullabies. Fatherhood deepened their bond, turning love into profound respect and partnership.
Their journey unfolded against a shifting legal landscape. The surrogacy took place just months before India's Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, came into effect in December 2021, which restricted access for same-sex couples and single individuals, limiting altruistic surrogacy to heterosexual married couples married for at least five years. Despite these barriers, Sougata and Mayank successfully became parents and have since celebrated milestones together—including a symbolic wedding on their twins' first birthday in 2022.
Today, their Bengaluru home is a vibrant example of inclusive family life. The twins, now around four to five years old, grow up immersed in both Bengali and Punjabi traditions—celebrating Durga Puja and Lohri with equal enthusiasm, enjoying fish curry alongside kadhi chawal, and speaking a mix of Bengali, Hindi, English, and Kannada. Grandparents from both sides live under the same roof, providing daily support and love. The family also includes two furry members, completing their "four babies" as the couple affectionately describes.
Public reception has been largely positive. When enrolling the children in preschool, the couple sought an inclusive environment and found a welcoming school. On Family Day, they stood proudly on stage as a two-father household among other families, receiving warmth rather than discrimination. Relatives who were once distant now see them simply as devoted parents.
Sougata and Mayank actively share their story through social media handles like @the_daddy_lyfe and @_beingpapa_, inspiring others in the LGBTQ+ community. Their narrative has been featured in outlets such as News18, Hindustan Times, The Times of India, SheThePeople, and podcasts like Dadsense and The Momcast, often highlighting themes of resilience amid legal and social challenges.
In a country where same-sex marriage remains unrecognized following the Supreme Court's 2023 decision, couples like Sougata and Mayank quietly demonstrate that family transcends gender, biology, or legal definitions. As they have expressed, their home is built on responsibility, acceptance, and unconditional love—a living proof that love doesn't always follow society's script, but it can rewrite it beautifully.
Their story continues to resonate, offering hope that visibility, courage, and compassion can foster greater inclusion for queer families across India.
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