New Delhi: Vandna left everything behind when she fled her parents' home to be with the man she loved, giving up family, friends and the studies she hoped would help her become a teacher. It is only thanks to the Love Commandos, a New Delhi-based organisation that helps desperate couples who have defied their families, that the 22-year-old and her new husband have a roof over their heads.
The organisation is the brainchild of former journalist Sanjoy Sachdev, who launched it in 2010 after coming to the aid of a young man falsely accused of rape by the family of the woman he wanted to marry. The organisation operates seven apartments in Delhi, but can also call on 300 couples to take in lovers fleeing relatives' wrath for a short period. "Some stay with us 14 months, others 14 hours," said Mr Sachdev.
Vandna was expected to marry a man chosen by her parents, who were furious when they discovered her relationship with Dilip, whom she married in July. They first stopped her from going to college, where she was studying business and accountancy, and then hastily arranged a marriage to a male relative. That was the final straw, and she fled the family home a day before the marriage was due to take place.
"I haven't called my parents or my friends since I left," Vandna said sitting beside her new husband in the modest apartment provided to the couple by the Love Commandos. "I want to be a teacher and my husband wants to set up his business, but we don't know when that is possible," said the young woman, who rarely leaves their apartment.
"A lot of young people try to convince their parents to accept their marriages, but that often ends with girls having their education stopped and being illegally detained. It can even end with honour killings," said Mr Sachdev.
21-year-old Bhawna Yadav's parents and uncle are accused of conspiring to kill her and dispose of her body after she married in secret. Her family had wanted her to marry a man from the Yadav caste to which her husband Abhishek Seth did not belong. When they learned of the secret marriage, Bhawna's parents asked Mr Seth to let her go back to the community for a celebration, which he agreed to do on the advice of friends. Shortly afterwards, he received a call from Bhawna's cousin to say she had been killed and her body burned.
"We had so many plans," Mr Seth said "She wanted to go to Goa on holiday and for us to have our arms tattooed with a heart and our initials" -- a promise that he has kept despite his wife's death.
Mr Sachdev says authorities need to do better at protecting young couples, and says political parties should come up with an "agenda for the protection of lovers' rights".
