时间：2022-09-07 09:52:20
November 2011. A wedding is being held on the grounds adjoining the Devi Garh Hotel in Udaipur， Rajasthan. A small group of onlookers watches in fascination as the couple circumambulates the sacred fire seven times， while a Hindu priest chants mantras. Why are they so intrigued？
Because both those marrying are clad in smart sherwanis. Both happen to be men. The wedding is an instance of the growing phenomenon of lesbian， gay， bisexual and transgender（LGBT） tourism as a niche category in India.
Both men were well aware that India is still a long way off from recognising gay marriages. In fact， they were already married， having signed on the dotted line in one of the US states where gay marriages are legal. They were in India merely for the experience of a big， fat Hindu wedding. And their entire trip was organised by the travel agency ， founded by Sanjay Malhotra in October 2008.
“The function lasted five hours and I was the best man，” says Malhotra， who readily acknowledges that he is gay himself. He even arranged for a baraat to accompany the couple to the wedding venue. Did they face any prejudice？ “On the contrary， they were treated like royalty，” says Malhotra.
is just one of a number of online travel agencies that have sprung up to facilitate LGBT travel in India. There is also ， begun by Rajat Singla in partnership with an Australian friend， Peter Housie， another self-confessed gay， in January 2010.
There is ， founded by Abhinav Goel in April 2010. Even some regular travel portals， such as Go India
Journeys （goindia.co.in） have begun organising special packages for this section， while others are seriously contemplating doing so. “In the next three to six months， we are also planning to start tours for the LGBT community，” says Sharat Dhall， President， Yatra Online. “Travelling with like-minded people is essential for this group.”
The biggest fillip this niche segment has received is the Delhi High Court judgment of July 2009 which decriminalised homosexuality by ruling that if Article 377 of the Indian Penal Code， which covers various ‘unnatural’sex acts， was applied to consenting gays， it would be a denial of their fundamental rights. But even after the judgment， attitudes have been slow to change. Malhotra， who started Indjapink even before the judgment， says he spent 10 months before that travelling the country seeking to sensitise hotel managers and tour guides to the needs of the LGBT community. “It is still a challenge to find gayfriendly tour guides and gay-friendly hotel managers，” says Singla.