MR AND MRS JINNAH
THE MARRIAGE THAT SHOOK INDIA
We’re glad this article found its way to you. If you’re not a subscriber, we’d love for you to consider subscribing—your support helps make this journalism possible. Either way, we hope you enjoy the read. Click to subscribe: subscribing
Sheela Reddy
Before Muhammad Ali Jinnah became a proponent of the two-nation theory and the founder of the state of Pakistan, he was a successful barrister in Mumbai who fell in love with and married Ruttie Petit, the daughter of a wealthy Parsi mill owner. Theirs was an unlikely union that resulted in Petit being wholly ostracised by her family and her community. Petit died at the age of 29, leaving behind a daughter, Dina, the couple’s only child. Jinnah never married again. In this book, the journalist Sheela Reddy uses newly accessible archival documents to write an account of a love story and a marriage that shaped modern South Asia.
Penguin Random House, 440 pages, Rs 699
Thanks for reading till the end. If you valued this piece, and you're already a subscriber, consider contributing to keep us afloat—so more readers can access work like this. Click to make a contribution: Contribute