Ruttenbai Jinnah, Mr Jinnah's second wife, remains a mystery to this day; she is perhaps more of an enigma than the Quaid. (Mr Jinnah was first married to his cousin Emibai at age 16 before he left for London; she died while he was still there.)

And it is tragic that the woman who was perhaps the one person whom Mr Jinnah loved and cherished the most at a point in his life, for whom he defied convention and risked his political career, has been deprived of an authentic biography.

There are, at most, only two books dedicated solely to her Ruttie Jinnah, the story of a great friendship by Kanji Dwarkadas and Ruttie Jinnah The Story Told and Untold by Khwaja Razi Haider.

These two books are not readily available; and worse still, neither of them delves deep into Ruttie's childhood, other than the fact that she was avidly fond of literature and the arts, and that she was the daughter of a Parsi magnate Sir Dinshaw Petit, who was a friend of Mr Jinnah.

And although biographies of Mr Jinnah, including Stanley Wolpert's Jinnah of Pakistan, and Jinnah Creator of Pakistan by Hector Bolitho, as well as Freedom at Midnight by Dominique La Pierre and Larry Collins, dedicate several passages to Ruttie, they only write about her in terms of her 'spectacular' looks, her passion for provocative clothes and jewellery, with just a few anecdotes here and there about her personality.

Wolpert first mentions Ruttie when she and Mr Jinnah fell in love, in the summer of 1916 'That summer when Ruttie was 16 and Jinnah at least 40, they shared the Petit Chateau in Darjeeling — where only the choicest tea plants and the silent snow-clad mountain peaks and isolated trails witnessed the passionate glances of longing and love that passed between these two.'

When Mr Jinnah expressed his intention to marry Ruttie to Mr Dinshaw, the latter filed an injunction against him. As a result, the couple were unable to meet for the next two years and in 1918, when Ruttie turned 18, she walked out of her house, gave up her family and religion, converted to Islam and married Mr Jinnah on April 19.

The wedding caused a nine-day stir thorough Bombay. According to Haider, Mrs Vijay Lakshmi Pandit, the daughter of Motilal Nehru stated in her memoirs that 'Ruttie was a friend of mine. We were the same age but brought up very differently. She was spoilt, very beautiful, and used to having her own way... the Parsis were in those days, a very conservative group. This in itself seemed reason enough for Ruttie to shock the community — 'Wake it up', as she was fond of saying.'

According to Bolitho, Jinnah 'succumbed to his wife's eager charm he enjoyed her spontaneity and allowed her to influence his behaviour as a politician.' This in itself speaks volumes for Ruttie's intellect... after all, Mr Jinnah, determined and ambitious as he was, wouldn't settle for a woman any less intelligent than he was. And what is more he was equally possessive about her.

Perhaps an anecdote by Bolitho illustrates this best 'Mrs Jinnah wore a low cut dress that did not please her hostess, Lady Willingdon who asked an ADC to bring a wrap for Mrs Jinnah, in case she felt cold. Jinnah rose, and said, 'When Mrs Jinnah feels cold, she will say so, and ask for a wrap herself.' Then he led his wife from the dining room; and, from that time, he refused to go to Government House again.'

Despite the fact that she has been sidelined in books, Ruttie's indomitable spirit still manages to make an impact; there are numerous instances that have been recorded by historians, which includes one from 1921, between Ruttie and Lord Reading, during which he stated, 'Mrs Jinnah, how I wish I could go to Germany. I very much want to go there. But I can't go there.' Ruttie asked 'Your Excellency, why can't you go there?' Reading replied 'The Germans do not like us, the British, so I can't go.' Ruttie retorted 'How then did you come to India?' Reading then immediately changed the subject.

The Jinnahs had one child, Dina, who was born on August 15, 1919; but even a child couldn't sustain the marriage.

Mr Jinnah, ever devoted to his cause, did not have the time that Ruttie demanded; as a result, the couple separated in 1928. A year later, on what would have been her 29th birthday, Ruttie passed away after a prolonged illness.
But the bonds of affection between them never really broke. In her last letter to Mr Jinnah, Ruttie wrote

Darling I love you, I love you — and had I loved you just a little less I might have remained with you... only after one has created a very beautiful blossom one does not drag it through the mire. The higher you set your ideal the lower it falls. I have loved you my darling as it is given to few men to be loved. I only beseech you that the tragedy which commenced in love should also end with it...

Her funeral was the one time that Mr Jinnah showed any sign of emotion — he is reported to have broken down and cried. And before leaving for Karachi in 1947, he visited her grave in Bombay one last time.

So many years later, it still seems like so many questions remain about the beautiful woman who the Quaid fell in love with. What was it about her that made him throw caution to the winds, risk his political career, and marry her? And if he loved her so much, why did he not give her the attention she craved — and deserved?

And did she, in turn, forgive him? That much perhaps we know — she did forgive him, and continued to love him.

As for the rest — sadly, we will never know.

Ruttie Jinnah The story, told and untold
By Khwaja Razi Haider
Pakistan Study Centre, University of Karachi
ISBN 969-8791-91-9
194pp. Rs200