BLACK ROSE

A haunting tale of passion, prejudice, and the price of courage.

- Mansi Jhingran Sood

Syed and Gayatri were not supposed to fall in love.

But love happens when you least expect it. It creeps up on us slowly—and then suddenly. When we're staring at love, all our other perceptions simply melt away. Love takes control of all our senses. We become vulnerable.

Love doesn’t look at customs, belief systems, traditions, logic, convenience, caste, family backgrounds, or religion. The power of love breaks down barriers created by ego and fear. Love creates acceptance where once there might have been judgment and hatred. Love unites. Love is courage. To love is courage. Love isn’t for the faint-hearted.

Ask Romeo and Juliet. They were brought together by love for eternity. Love is indeed insanity. And it was love that drew Syed to Gayatri.

Name: Gayatri Iyer

Age: 24

Hometown: Tirunelveli, Southern India

Profession: Social worker

Family: Conservative Hindu, religious, pure vegetarian

Name: Syed Ahmed

Age: 23

Hometown: Mumbai, India

Profession: Stand-up comedian

Family: Conservative Muslim, religious, non-vegetarian

For Gayatri's family, eating fish, meat, or even eggs was considered a sin. Syed's family sacrificed goats every year on Eid. Their worlds were different, yet ironically similar—similar but not the same.

Two worlds. One nation. Many Indias. Two religions. Secular. One country.

Their paths crossed on that fateful day when Syed walked into the coffee shop that Gayatri frequented.