All for love
PEACEMAKERS
This Valentine's Day, love birds have no reason to worry... messiahs of love are here to protect you. 
There is a hotline called ‘Love Commandos’ that started in July 2010 to help distressed young lovers -- and since then, their phone has not stopped ringing.
Chairman of the group Sanjoy Sachdev informs that on an average they get 1,000 to 1,500 calls every day from all over the country and most cases pertain to the harassment on girls by their families. “When we started out, we had expected not more than 100 to 150 calls, but we are surprised by the number of calls that come in now. Sometimes there would be as many as 3,000 on a single day. Some callers are in need of protection or shelter, while some require counselling,” says Sanjoy.
The group, which started with 2,000 members, claims that presently it has some seven lakh volunteers all over the country who provide help as and when required. The group’s local team informs the police and gets the authorities to intervene.
“Maximum calls are made by girls who are being harassed by their family members for indulging in a love affair against their wishes. Sometimes, they’re locked up in the house or their mobile phones are snatched. We rescue them with the assistance of local police, provide protection and shelter to those who need it and also help them get married if they want to,” Sanjoy says.
‘Love Commandos’ have to take a different approach when minor couples call on the hotline. “There is no age for love but when minor couples call us we ask them to continue their affair but without getting physical. We discourage them from thinking about marriage till they attain the marriageable age. In some cases, we also ask callers to furnish age proof before seeking assistance,” says Harsh Malhotra, chief coordinator of ‘Love Commandos’.
“Before forming ‘Love Commandos’, we worked with young couples who wanted to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Back then we called ourselves ‘Peace Commandos’. But, with the rise in cases of honour killing, we decided to focus on these issues,” recalls Harsh.
So do they have any special preparations for Valentine’s Day which is just round the corner? Sanjoy replies, “If we receive any call about youngsters not being allowed to celebrate, our commandos will reach the spot and help them,” says Sanjoy.
“We want zero violence against couples. Our motto is, ‘love shall prevail and love shall rule the world one day’,” they sum up.
