India might have progressed a great deal in terms of science, medicine and education, but when the topic turns to love, it stirs quite a drama.
Why? Because in India, most marriages are arranged by parents; with potential marriage partners, being vetted on the basis of horoscope, caste, kundali, complexion etc. Rarely is love seen as a strong influencing factor in fixing marriages.
As a result, falling in love carries a strong social stigma in our country
Love that breaks barriers of caste, economic class etc can be problematic, often leading to violence and often culminating in “honour killing”. Even if it doesn’t escalate to that extreme, couples and lovers are often harassed by the police and right-wing extremists.
Love Commandos – a pan-India voluntary organization – protects and helps people in love.
It was formed in July 2010 under the aegis of Chairman Mr. Sanjoy Sachdev.
Their entourage includes human rights activists and lawyers.
They provide protection to lovers and also run secret shelters for eloped couples, who may stay there until they gain financial independence.
They also help couples get married.
…. and help register their marriage with the civil authorities.
The group has over 600,000 members across India and 200 shelters for couples.
On an average, it receives 300 calls daily on its 24 hour helpline.