A beautiful love story

Muzafar and Ayesha Bibi (http://www.dawn.com)

It's a sweet love story we've all heard variations of: It is World War II. A young soldier falls in love with a young woman in the country where he is deployed during wartime, they get married and live happily together for many, many years.

This story is during the Burma Campaign in 1944 when the Burmese Independence Army, trained by the Japanese, led initial attacks on the British forces. The Allied forces — British, Chinese and Americans — were fighting against the axis powers— forces of the Empire of Japan, Germany and Italy.

In this story, the soldier was 20-year-old Muzafar Khan from British India (from Chakwal, now Pakistan) who was stationed in Burma (now Myanmar). The young blue-eyed Burmese girl must have been about 13. (Their ages may not be accurate since I doubt there was much record of such things in villages.) She provided food to the soldiers. He was Muslim, she was Buddhist. She took the name "Ayesha" when she converted. That was so long ago that she doesn't remember her given name.

She had lost all her family and he brought her to his village. Married 70 years, they lived a simple, content life. Now, he cannot hear well, she cannot see well. But they continue to share their love. She still takes pleasure in doing little things for him, like making him his tea.

They never had children, but all the village children consider them parents and Muzafar and Ayesha consider the children their family. Now 92, Muzafar is known as Chacha Kalu in his neighborhood while Ayesha Bibi, now 84, is Mashoo.

Read a little more of their sweet story.

 

 

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/a-beautiful-love-story/