Book Review: Surviving Loudly – Love, Law and the price of being seen
- Print length – 188 pages
- Publisher – Storymirror Infotech Pvt Ltd
- First Published – July, 2025
When I attended Abhay and Supriyo’s wedding in Hyderabad in 2022, it felt like history in the making. Abhay, my good friend and hostel mate from IIT Roorkee, was marrying the love of his life, Supriyo. I wrote then about how deeply moving it was to witness their union – two men celebrating their love openly, with family and friends by their side. In a country where conversations around same-sex love are still whispered, their wedding was a bold declaration of love and acceptance.
Remembering a ceremony of love, which seeks social recognition
When I heard about Supriyo’s book Surviving Loudly: Love, Law and the Price of Being Seen, I knew I had to read it. To be honest, I had never read a queer memoir before. That, in itself, reflects how queer literature often gets overlooked, just as their lives are too often unseen. This book changed that for me.
Surviving Loudly: a Memoir That Speaks from the Margins
Surviving Loudly is not just a memoir; it’s a journey through silence, stigma, resilience, and finally, visibility. The book begins with the quietness of hidden chats and secret glances, and slowly grows into a voice that refuses to be silenced. Supriyo shares his life between margins – margins of law, margins of identity, and the constant negotiation between personal truth and societal judgment.
The writing is raw, tender, and hauntingly honest. At times it feels like you’re reading someone’s diary, yet at other times, it feels like you’re listening to the collective heartbeat of a community that has long been denied its place in the sun.
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Book Review: Surviving Loudly – Love, Law, and the Fight for Recognition
The memoir is also deeply tied to one of the most significant legal battles in recent Indian history. In 2023, Supriyo became one of the lead petitioners in the Supreme Court of India case for marriage equality – Supriyo vs Union of India. The case brought same-sex marriage to the forefront of national discourse, sparking debates not only in courtrooms but also in homes, offices, and WhatsApp groups across the country.
The verdict did not legalize same-sex marriage, leaving the decision to the government. But Supriyo’s reflections remind us that the fight was not in vain. In his own words, “The law isn’t the only place where change happens. We didn’t lose. Not really. We just cracked open something that won’t close again. Yes, we lost the legal battle. But we gained something far more untouchable: visibility. Conversation. Courage. You can reject a plea. You can’t reject a presence”. That’s powerful.
“You can reject a plea. You can’t reject a presence.”
Those words stayed with me long after I closed the book. They remind us that change does not only come from laws, it comes from stories, courage, and everyday acts of visibility.
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Surviving Loudly: Story of a Friend
Reading Surviving Loudly was personal for me. Watching Abhay and Supriyo call each other “Husband and Husband” amidst cheers, laughter, and love from their families and friends was a rare, privileged sight. As Abhay himself once said, “If we don’t stand up, who will?”
“If we don’t stand up, who will?”
This book is the continuation of that spirit of standing up, even when the cost of being seen is high. It made me realize how much courage it takes for individuals from LGBTQ community, to live authentically in a society that often erases them. It also reminded me how much allies and friends need to do, simply by listening, learning, and amplifying these stories.
Why You Should Read the book Surviving Loudly by Supriyo Chakraborty
If, like me, you’ve never read queer literature before, Surviving Loudly is the perfect place to begin. It’s about love that dares, about families that struggle to understand, about friendships that stand the test of time, and about the ongoing fight for dignity.
Reading this book has been an awakening. It is easy to think of legal cases and social issues in abstract terms. But when you read someone’s story, their childhood fears, their longing for acceptance, their public battles for dignity, it becomes impossible to look away.
Surviving Loudly is Supriyo’s gift to all of us. It is a reminder that change begins when voices rise, when love refuses to be hidden, and when survival itself becomes a form of revolution.
I completed Surviving Loudly with a deeper respect for the courage of my friend Abhay, his partner Supriyo, and the countless others who continue to stand tall. Their fight is not just for themselves – it is for a society where everyone has the right to love and be loved, without fear.
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Book: 298
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