Ruttie Jinnah is an understudied figure in history and the book takes an incisive look into her life and legacy, bringing about a novel and fresh understanding of Jinnah as well as the freedom movement. The work also reveals the human side of Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the many personal and social challenges of his life weaving it with his love story with Ruttie.
‘Did Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s wife, Ruttie, impact the creation of Pakistan? Did she have a posthumous influence on Pakistan’s polity? Does her legacystill affect Indo-Pak relations? Ruttie Jinnah was a fierce nationalist in her own right, and a proactive political companion to her husband. According to Jinnah’s contemporary political leader Sarojini Naidu, Ruttie was the only one with whom he could truly be himself. Much to the dismay of her family and the Parsee community she hailed from, she had a love marriage with Jinnah. However, despite her undisputed influence on him, she remains an understudiedfigureinhistory. This vivid biography—put together over twelve years of research, interviews with historians, family members and lawyers of Jinnah’s descendants, and visits to every place associated with the couple in India, Pakistan and England—provides an incisive look into Ruttie’s life and legacy, bringing forth a novel and fresh understanding of Jinnah and the freedom movement.
THE AUTHORS
Saad S. Khan is a historian and political scientist. For the past five years, he has been a faculty member at the National School of Public Policy, Lahore.
Sara S. Khan has mainly worked in the social sector including as head of Mohammad Ali Jinnah Academy, Quetta.
December 2020 | EBURY PRESS| Penguin Random House India
