For Rishabh Rajput and Sonali Chouksey, a college romance spanning 11 years culminated in a dream wedding last month, but their digital debut as husband and wife quickly descended into a nightmare of prejudice.

The couple, hailing from the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, found their joy overshadowed by a barrage of vitriol when they shared their wedding video online. The vicious backlash targeting the groom’s darker complexion has ignited a fierce conversation about colorism—a scourge that, much like in Kenya, continues to dictate social value and fuel online toxicity.

The Digital Mob

The footage captured what should have been a private triumph: the couple performing traditional rituals, decked in their ceremonial finery. However, the comment section rapidly devolved into a theater of cruelty. Trolls bypassed the celebration to fixate on Mr. Rajput’s skin tone, juxtaposing it against his bride’s fairer complexion.

The abuse was not limited to insults about appearance. In a narrative all too familiar to Kenyans who witness social media shaming, the bride was stripped of her agency and accused of ulterior motives. Comments alleged she was a "gold-digger" or had been forced into the union.

• Baseless Speculation: Users claimed without evidence that Mr. Rajput must hold a lucrative government job to "secure" such a wife.
• Character Assassination: One commenter callously remarked, "She must have had some compulsion," while others suggested she could not possibly be happy.
• Political Conspiracies: Rumors swirled that the groom’s father was a government minister, attempting to rationalize the match through power dynamics rather than love.

Love in the Time of Trolling

The obsession with fair skin is not unique to India; it mirrors the "rangi ya thao" (complexion of a thousand) syndrome often debated in Nairobi, where lighter skin is frequently, and falsely, equated with beauty and success. Yet, Rajput and Chouksey refused to be silenced by the noise.

Speaking to the BBC Hindi service from his home in Jabalpur, Mr. Rajput addressed the emotional toll of the harassment. "People were making jokes and memes and it felt very wrong," he noted, highlighting the dehumanizing nature of viral fame.

Instead of retreating, the couple has chosen to confront the prejudice head-on. Since their wedding on November 23, they have engaged with local media to challenge the narrative, turning a moment of personal pain into a public stand against superficial judgment. Their resilience sends a clear message: the validity of a marriage is defined by the couple, not the complexion of their skin or the cruelty of a comment section.