In this week’s episode of Booked, I spoke to Supriyo Chakraborty, author of Surviving Loudly \u2013 Love, Law and the Price of Being Seen. He was the lead petitioner in the marriage equality case in the Supreme Court, and his book is a brave, emotional, and touching memoir of a young boy growing up \u201cdifferent,\u201d who is now a symbol of the fight for dignity and equality.<\/p>\n
During our discussion, we spoke about the people he met throughout his journey, the heartbreak of losing the case when the Court denied marriage rights, and the hope that came from sparking a nationwide debate on identity and rights. His book dedication says it all: \u201cTo those still fighting, you\u2019re not done. We\u2019re louder than silence and braver than shame.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chakraborty described the shock and sadness of losing the marriage equality case, but also the strength he and others drew from the overwhelming support they received. \u201cWhat we gained is that we cracked open a surface and nobody can close it anymore because we are part of the dinner table conversation now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This book will resonate deeply with those in the LGBTQ+ community, as it puts into words the stark, lonely, and painful side of growing up \u201cdifferent.\u201d It may also prompt allies to reflect on how their support and words have shaped the journeys of those searching for their identity. And for those who questioned, \u201cWhy do you want marriage?\u201d the book offers a glimpse into the universal desire for a \u201cnormal\u201d life where society and family are allowed to recognise the most important person in one\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
Here are some excerpts from Supriyo Chakraborty\u2019s interview:<\/strong><\/p>\n When asked what made him write the book, Chakraborty said: \u201cI believe there are multiple events which kind of I don\u2019t use the word trigger, but which pushed me to think and write this book. The first was moving from a small town to a bigger city, fighting for rights, and eventually going to the Supreme Court.”<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing I have learnt in life is that it\u2019s not just about winning the big fight. It\u2019s also about the small battles we win on a day-to-day basis. I wanted to share that story with the world,” he said, adding: \u201cAnd secondly, maybe for that kid who is sitting in a small town, on some dusty road, looking at the sky and wondering if somebody can really see them. For that kid, this story could become a powerful source of hope. That is why I started writing, and here is Surviving Loudly today.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking about some of the most important moments of his life that he has mentioned in his book, Chakraborty said: \u201cI always say one thing – our journey is not to stand out from the crowd. It\u2019s to get lost in the crowd. Because every time we look at the world, we feel alienated. That is one of the most important feelings I wanted to show in this book.”<\/p>\n \u201cSurviving Loudly has only been out for a month, and most of the feedback I\u2019ve received hasn\u2019t been from the community, but from outside it. I think that is the real success of this book \u2014 because we are all surviving, some loudly, some quietly. As Saurabh Kirpal also wrote, this book is not only for people from the LGBTQ+ community. It\u2019s relatable for anyone who is surviving in this world \u2014 whether at home, in the workplace, or even within their friend groups,” he added.<\/p>\n Watch the entire interview here:<\/strong><\/p>\n Through Surviving Loudly, Supriyo Chakraborty reminds us that visibility is power, and that every story of survival, whether quiet or loud, brings us closer to equality.<\/p>\n – Ends<\/p>\n Published By: <\/p>\n Akshita Singh<\/p>\n Published On: <\/p>\n Sep 5, 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this week’s episode of Booked, I spoke to Supriyo Chakraborty, author of Surviving Loudly \u2013 Love, Law…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45342,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266],"tags":[359,18,117,34045,19,34046,17,34042,34043,13186,34048,34044,34040,34041,34047],"class_list":{"0":"post-45341","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-identity-struggles","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-indian-lgbtq-community","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-lgbtq-rights","16":"tag-marriage-equality","17":"tag-memoir","18":"tag-national-debate","19":"tag-supreme-court-india","20":"tag-supriyo-chakraborty","21":"tag-surviving-loudly","22":"tag-visibility-and-dignity"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}