Fake IDs brought this inter-caste couple together

Their love story began with a fake profile on facebook, but for Ravindra and Rekha faking their identity has become the norm for last two years. The couple who belong to different caste now live under fake names for fear of being killed by the girl's community members. In fact, so complete is their fake identity that they change their residence often and both of them don't keep in touch with their families, except the guy's mother. Even then no one in their family knows where they live.

Ravindra and Rekha met on facebook when each put up a fake id and began chatting. Both assumed the other to be of the same sex, despite their fake profile pic pointing to the contrary. "This was in 2013. Within a fortnight of us talking, she asked me if I could lend her Rs15,000 and I lend it to her. She gave me an account number that wasn't even hers.That's when she asked for my phone number so that she could return the money," said Ravindra.

He says the thought that he would be cheated of his money never crossed his mind. "When she called him to return the money, that was when he first realised that she was indeed a girl and not a guy masquerading as a girl on facebook," said Ravindra. Rekha said the two then kept in touch and love blossomed. "We were very good friends so much so that he gave me his facebook password too. In fact, he would flirt with so many girls on facebook and sometimes I would log into his account and reply to them on his behalf,"s aid Rekha. Interestingly, it was she who told him that she was in love and Ravindra insisted that marriage was the only way to go. "My family would have never agreed. So one day he came to my home on a bike and we just escaped. We went and got our marriage registered and send a copy to our parents to tell them that we were married, said REkha. The couple however still live in fear of being hunted down by her family. "In Saurashtra where Rekha belongs to honour killing is as common as throwing a stone at a dog. We don't reveal our identities. I left my job as a hardware engineer and took up odd jobs to sustain us both," said Ravindra.

So is love worth all the fear and fake identities? Yes, says Ravindra. The couple says that saying I Love you is easy but to stay together for the ups and downs of life is what makes a relation stronger.