As a fellow Indian and having received resistance from my family for choosing someone outside my caste, I understand what you went through. There are two things to this:

a) No matter the ups and downs, things work out for the best in the end. I do believe that.

b) But when it comes to the reactions our families have, I think that's the cultural aspect which adds too much pressure and unnecessary rifts. I know our parents were trying to be protective of us and they were operating from a point of fear (e.g., log kya kahenge, what if person doesn't gel with family, etc)., but I think the role of the parent should be to support our children's choices and let them learn from their own decisions.