When the wedding bells rang for 30-year-old Shree Ghatak on Saturday, it had a loud-and-clear message for everyone in Kolkata and beyond: Love is for one and all.

Ghatak, a transgender woman, had socially married long-time partner Sanjay Muhuri in a traditional Bengali wedding last year. This weekend, however, their marriage became even more special as they got it legally registered.

Ghatak, now going by Shree Ghatak Muhuri, is being dubbed as the first trans-woman to be legally married in West Bengal. Having found her happily-ever-after, Ghatak's story, however, did not have a smooth start.

Ghatak met husband Sanjay in school, and had been friends since they turned 14. While her feelings for him had been strong ever since, the love story had not been a smooth one.

"I was in class eight when I began getting attracted to Sanjay. It was just like any woman gets attracted towards a man. But it was so confusing for me," Ghatak told eNewsroom.

"Being a woman trapped in a man's body made me feel lonely, strange and bad at times," she said. "Making things worse was the fact that there was no one in my family to understand my feelings."

Also read: Odisha man breaks barriers to marry transgender

THE SOCIAL STIGMA

Ghatak underwent sex reassignment surgery in 2015, and took up the name Shree. But before that, especially during childhood, Ghatak recalls being subjected to much ridicule and torture for being.

"I was often beaten or abused for being what I am. It was really difficult for me," she told eNewsroom. Luckily for Ghatak, she had her mother and a loving partner by her side.

Husband Sanjay Muhuri was not excused from the stigma either, as being in a relationship with a trans-woman often made him the target of ridicule as well. However, Ghatak said that since the sex reassignment surgery, people have been able to accept their relationship.

"Initially, our families were very much opposed to us getting married. They were worried about what people would say. But once I underwent the surgery to be what I had always been, a woman, my in-laws welcomed me with open arms."

Ghatak and Muhuri had a social wedding soon after her sex reassignment surgery, but since they were yet to get the documents supporting her transition, they couldn't go ahead with a legal one.

With all the paperwork sorted now, the two got their marriage registered, becoming a married couple in the eyes of the law as well.

Also read: Bengal's Kalyani University bends rules to admit transgender student on humanitarian grounds