QuaideAzam MUHAMMAD ALI JINNAH: The Man behind the curtain

Jinnah, a character of the Indian subcontinent, who has reshaped the map and destiny of the people residing in India, was not only a master strategist political leader but also a very interesting case for psychoanalysis. The books published so far have been either for or against him, keeping in view his success or failure based on his political contribution. Here, first time after 65 years of his death, an effort is being made to understand his psychic tendencies which reflected throughout his life. In the initial  years of his career he was a Staunch Nationalist, to the extent the top Congress leaders like Gokhale and Sarojini Naidu branded him as an ambassador of HinduMuslim unity. Jinnah himself has introduced him as ‘First Indian and then Muslim’!

An absolute lie propagated by some western biographers that Jinnah’s forefathers were of Arabian origin is proved wrong by Mr. Joshi in this book. Jinnah was a second generation converted Hindu from a small village MotiPaneli near Rajkot (Gujarat Region), hardly 100 miles away where Mahatma Gandhi was brought up and educated.

The author has uncovered the layers of Jinnah’s life. A man, who could not stay with is family, married a second time at the age of 44 years to an 18yearold Parsee girl. Both got separated within 6 years and she committed suicide. He ended his relationship with his only daughter since she married a nonMuslim. How all these personal aspects have contributed in building up his character is narrated in this novel very lucidly.

He divided the subcontinent, created a new nation, Pakistan for Muslims and was ironically ignored by his own colleagues who were in power during his last days. No doubt his life compels one to draw that he was a great man, but a selfcentred person.