The House That Feeds on Love

The house with the blue door,located in a dingy alley in central Delhi,looks like any other home in the neighbourhood. The creaking door,the tin roof,the garbage piled outside,the noisy children on the street — all serve the purpose of that house — to remain inconspicuous. The house with the blue door is owned by the NGO Love Commandos and is a haven for lovers on the run. It is where Vijay and Malati have been hiding from their families for the last three weeks,with four other couples.

Love Commandos helps lovers on the run get married. They also provide shelter to couples who have nowhere to go and fear for their lives. Their seven shelters in Delhi currently house around 40 couples. Sanjay Sachdev,chairman of the NGO,says,“They come to us in distress,often with no money or belongings. We feed them,clothe them,provide medicines if required and make sure they are safe before they step out in the world. We also help them get jobs.”

Inside the shelter,sitting in the dimly-lit room on a creaky bed,Vijay and Malati seem shy but calm. Malati looks slightly scared,but Vijay is cheerful,often poking Malati and cracking jokes to make her laugh. They left their village in Haryana more than a month ago as their families were against their marriage. The reason — Vijay belongs to a scheduled caste family,and Malati is a Rajput. Vijay used to work as a household help at Malati’s home and would take their cows out to graze,as well as do other odd jobs. Dressed in a deep grey T-shirt and sweatpants,he says with an infectious smile,“After my Class XI exams,I convinced my parents to let me work at the big house (Malati’s house) for extra cash,just so I could see her every day.”

But when Malati’s family found out about their “affair”,they were livid. “My grandfather said that he would set me on fire if I dared to cross the family’s maryada,” says Malati softly,as Vijay pats her knee comfortingly. “My brother pretended to be my friend in the beginning,asking me about Vijay and what he does. But when he realised that I intended to get married,he locked me in a room and starved me for days,” she continues. Vijay says proudly,“She stole a neighbour’s mobile phone and called me. She just said that she was going to run away. I asked her to meet me in Agra the next day.”

One of their friends who knew about Love Commandos gave them their helpline number. “We called the number,and that’s how we came here,” says Malati,dressed in a purple T-shirt,jeans and dupatta,with her red wedding bangles tinkling on her arms.

With Love Commandos’ help,Vijay and Malati got married a week ago in a nearby temple. They have submitted the papers at the Tis Hazari court to register their marriage. They look forward to the future,as Vijay,who is a Masters in English,plans to take up a job in teaching and Malati plans to study economics. Their families,however,are still looking for them and have blocked access to their bank accounts.

It’s almost lunch time and all the young women in the shelter gather to cook. They giggle and gossip as they peel potatoes and their young men do the dishes in the veranda. They relate stories,make plans and talk about the future. As we walk out of the house with the blue door,Sachdev follows us outside. “You see,this house might look like any other,but you will rarely find another house which feeds and thrives on love alone,” he says waving us goodbye.

* Names have been changed to protect identity