Yawar Abbas, 100, marries Noor, 60, to beat coronavirus

LONDON: Love knows no bounds, not of age, gender, nationality, religion or, in Yawar Abbas and Noor Zaheer’s case, viral outbreaks. Nothing could stop Yawar, 100, from marrying the love of his life — the bold and beautiful writer of Indian-origin, Noor, 60.

Because of the the coronavirus threat, the couple had to ditch their original plans for their wedding reception scheduled for March 27 and decided to get married 10 days earlier. They held an intimate function at their home in West London attended by only six of their closest friends.

Abbas was commissioned in the British Army in United India in 1942 as a second lieutenant. He was in Pakistan Army in 1947 serving as a major and made a commissioned film on Pakistan and the partition. He resigned from the army and shifted to London to join the BBC, and has lived and worked in London ever since.

Yawar’s marriage to Noor is his fourth marriage, her fifth. The newlyweds have children from their previous marriages and their grandchildren are grown ups too. “He proposed to me in an elevator and asked me to make a permanent move to London,” Noor laughed as she recalled the unexpected way her 100-year-old husband proposed to her. “We were more than friends so I said yes,” she told The News.

Despite knowing each other for over 12 years, the couple realised they loved each other when they reconnected during the London’s Faiz Amn Mela in October last year. Geo News and Jang group has sponsored the Faiz Mela every year for the annual get together which brings together leading progressive intellectuals.

Yawar, who is also a prolific poet, impressed Noor with his commitment to humanity and strong ideals. “We believe in the need to work for equality and social justice. Yawar has been very consistent in his films and his writings, that really attracted me,” Noor told The News.

It’s hard not be attracted to Yawar who started his career as a photographer for the BBC during World War II. Since then, the filmmaker from Lucknow has witnessed the Cold War, the fall of the Soviet Union, the formation of the EU and much more.

His voice carries the clarity of his mind, and it’s easy to lose one’s defences around him. “Like all love stories, there’s nothing unusual about ours except for the fact that we belong to different generations, otherwise, we are driven by the same things,” Yawar said. “I feel complete after Noor became my wife.”

Noor Zaheer is the daughter of the legendary Marxist intellectual couple, Syed Sajjad Zaheer and Razia Zaheer. Sajjad had an illustrious career as a writer and was also one of the founding members of the Communist Party of Pakistan.

Following her father’s footsteps in the literary realm, Noor has risen as one of the most influential writers from South Asia, with several bestsellers. She is also the president of the Indian People’s Theatre Association, the national secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women, and a recipient of the Times Fellowship.

Yawar’s love story gives hope to all aspiring Romeos of the world. If he can marry the love of his life at 100 years of age, what excuse do other people have? What made him fall in love with Noor?

He said: “The best quality of Noor is her capacity to love, not just me but humanity and her sense of values, her activism and her dedication to doing whatever she can to improve the lives of her fellow citizens. She’s inherited a lot from her own father. The whole thing that makes Noor, I love that.”

At a time when the world is obsessing over a new virus which poses a significant health risk, two people in this world are the living embodiment of true love and are spending every moment with glee and happiness.