Indian American gay couple who went viral for traditional Hindu wedding announces first baby
By Bryan Ke
Before you read:
Internet-famous Indian American gay couple Amit Shah and Aditya Madiraju are expecting a new addition to their family.
Shah and Madiraju, who went viral in 2019 for holding a traditional Hindu wedding, revealed the exciting news on Instagram and in an exclusive interview with People.
The couple also shared that their first child will be born sometime in May.
Shah, who hails from New Jersey, first met his husband, Madiraju, who was born in New Delhi, India, at a party.
The idea of starting a family was a years-long process for the couple, with Madiraju, who works as a wealth management bank employee and beauty blogger, sharing that they first discussed having children on their first date.
“The funny part is that the concept of marriage and kids was something we discussed on our very first date,” Madiraju told People. “Usually that’s a red flag where people are like, ‘Okay, bye,’ but I think we stayed together because of that discussion.”
It was not until 2020 that the couple decided to learn more about having biological children.
Around one year later, they became “comfortable enough to move forward and really start making decisions,” according to Shah. They had to learn about a variety of topics, such as the difference between surrogates, gestational carriers and egg donors.
They also took time finding the right egg donor, with Madiraju saying, “I think for us basically the creative process, the out-of-box thinking, we were looking for someone like that, as much as we could tell from their profile.”
The couple was surprised to find that the cost of having a baby for same-sex couples is typically much higher than for heterosexual couples. Shah, the owner and creative director of AATMA Performing Arts, also shared that “actually 90% or more” of the money they had spent came from their own pockets.
After four rounds of in vitro fertilization (IVF), Shah and Madiraju were finally told that they will become fathers.
Madiraju hopes that their good news will help normalize the idea of same-sex couples becoming parents.
“I want this to be a guide for those who are trying because so many have gotten married after we have, and they have reached out to us thanking us because they figured out how to convince their parents and families because of us,” he shares. “So this might very well help too.”
“We won’t be gay parents, we’ll just be parents,” he adds. “I hope we can celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, all the holidays. I hope none of that stuff really matters.”
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