Event, July 14: Celebrating love across caste and religious divides

Inter-religious or inter-caste marriage is against the social dogma around Southasia. In India, only 5% marriages are inter-caste or inter-religious. Many of these couples often go through tremendous social, family, and psychological pressures. Many of them have died in what are called “honour killings”. Gay and queer couples are also subjected to all kinds of atrocities.

Southasia Peace Action Network (Sapan) along with the Boston South Asian Coalition (BSAC), Boston Study Group (BSG), and Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) invite you to an in-person event to talk about challenges that are faced by interfaith / inter-caste couples and families, and how to create inclusion across castes and religious divides.

This event takes forward an earlier Sapan online discussion Celebrating Love: Beyond Borders and Boundaries, February 2023. Read the report here.

Speakers will discuss the challenges faced by such couples and will discuss the power of love that is not bound by caste, religion, or sexual orientation.

Speakers: Beena Sarwar, Sanjay Bhagat, Kandeel Javid

Date: 14 July 2023, Friday

Location: Community Church of Boston (2nd Floor), 565 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116, USA

“I am convinced that the real remedy is inter-marriage” — Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar

“Scholars were never made from reading countless books, but the one who understands love is greater than any learned scholar” — Kabir

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that” — Martin Luther King Jr.

RSVP on Eventbrite is required. This will be a potluck dinner event; please inform the organisers of any food allergies at TheBostonSouthAsianCoalition@gmail.com

Note on Southasia as one word: Following the lead of Himal Southasian, Sapan News Network uses ‘Southasia’ as one word, “seeking to restore some of the historical unity of our common living space, without wishing any violence on the existing nation states”. Writing Sapan like this rather than all caps makes it a word that means ‘dream’.