After her son came out as gay, Sushma Samudra consulted astrologers, quizzed psychiatrists, performed prayers and implored gods and goddesses to cure his abnormality. Nothing worked. Undeterred, she tasked her husband to feed a stray dog each morning with a roti generously coated with ghee, closely following the curative advice of an expert astrologer. Samudra can laugh now – recalling her naivety and the deranged detours taken en route – as she relaxed into a family interview at her home in Pune, about 90 miles from Mumbai. Homosexuality has been decriminalized but coming out is still not easy in India, where it is rarely discussed openly for fear of family rejection in a regimented, traditional society. But some parents are now swimming against the heavy tide of tradition, be it counseling others about how to accept their gay children or even seeking a same-sex partner for their own.