Untold Love Story of M. Ali Jinnah and Rattanbai Petit (Ruttie)

[SecularNationalist]

Millions of us know Jinnah for his breathless effort to gain a separate homeland for the Muslims of the sub-continent but only few of us know what it really cost to one of the most compatible lawyers of the subcontinent to get it.
In his days in England as a student it was Jinnah’s dream to play Romeo at The Globe, but unfortunately this dream came true in Jinnah’s real life.

To get all this clear in mind one should get to know about the never talked about love story of the founder of Pakistan Mohammad Ali Jinnah. The story started as a fairy tale, ended up as one of the gloomiest love stories ever.

The unlucky one to get Quaid-e-Azam’s love was Rattanabi Petit Jinnah, who was once called the ‘Flower of Bombay’, but after setting her life with Jinnah she was no more than a wilted flower.

Love story: M. Ali Jinnah and Rattanbai Petit (Ruttie) (An untold affair)

Jinnah was man of worthy, even his woes admired his personality and the way of dealing different situations. But the man who was acclaimed as one of the super brain of that era, whose brilliance let Muslims to have a separate nation was not able to be a good husband or a good father.

Rattanbai Petit (Maryam Jinnah)

In the pages of inked history, we just know the Father of Pakistan married a girl years after her first wife Emibai Jinnah died. And a little more we know that, Jinnah married that girl after she turned Muslim from Paris, just for Jinnah.

But many of the people never ever tried to know that who was Rattanbai Petit later Maryam Jinnah.

“History is written by the victors.” Winston Churchill

To be very fair, Rattanbai Petit was not victorious so she just lost her way in dark pages of the history. She devoted all her love and passion for the man of justice, Mohammad Ali Jinnah but he preferred love for the Muslims, who were yearning to have a safe shelter than to go with the love of the most beautiful girl in the Bombay.

But the end of their love is the most unfortunate as Rattanbai Petit lost her home, her lucrative life just for the Jinnah.

And he put in his all of the potential for a nation which now stands as an aggressive crowd fighting within. The basic principles taught by him, unity faith and discipline are just to be written on the books they are no more being followed here.

From all this one can derive that it was not a love story it was a triangular love story, Rattanbai Petit was in some serious love with Jinnah but he was little conscious about this as he preferred the love for nation then to get in his time to love his wife or daughter.

Love story: M. Ali Jinnah and Rattanbai Petit (Ruttie)

• Quaid-e Azam married his cousin Emibai Jinnahi in 1992 and went England for pursuing his education. At that time Jinnah was just of 16 years. In the very next year Emibai died of cholera while Jinnah was studying abroad.
• He was numerous times being asked to remarry but he strait away refused it. It took around 23 years to Jinnah to think about marrying again. This happened as Jinnah met a 16-year-old Rutten Bai.
• Rutten Bai was the only daughter of Sir Dinshaw Petit and was granddaughter of Dinshaw Maneckji Petit. The Petits were one of the wealthiest Parsi families of Bombay and are also remembered as the founders of the first cotton mill in India.
• Rutten Bai was beyond her years, reading poetry and clothing were some of her passion. She was also called ‘Flower of Bombay’ because of her beauty.
• In the summer of 1916, Jinnah was invited at Darjeeling by his client-friend Sir Dinshaw. This was the first time when he met Ruttie and lost her heart in first time meeting her. Later, he approached Dinshaw and asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage. This turned a reason of friendship end between Dinshaw and Jinnah.
• But till then Jinnah was able to get a place in Ruttie’s heart, they secretly met for two years and later in 1918 without her family consent Ruttie married Jinnah after leaving her home and changing her religion from Parsi to Muslim.
• In 1919 they were blessed with a daughter named Dina Wadia.
• The early years after marriage were there best days and they look a perfect match with a satisfied smile.
• In 1922 due to certain reasons most probably Jinnah’s change in priorities (he was suffering political isolation) led Maryam Jinnah (Ruttie) to pack her bags and to depart for London along with her daughter.
• In 1929 she died and even some days before her death she wrote a letter to Jinnah. In years between 1922-29 many of the mediators tried to reconcile between them but failed to do so.

Antiques of Ruttie-Jinnah love story

Ruttie’s letter to Jinnah

S. S. Rajputana,
Marseilles 5 Oct 1928
Darling thank you for all you have done. If ever in my bearing your once tuned senses found any irritability or unkindness, be assured that in my heart there was place only for a great tenderness and a greater pain -a pain my love without hurt. When one has been as near to the reality of Life (which after all is Death) as I have been dearest, one only remembers the beautiful and tender moments and all the rest becomes a half veiled mist of unrealities. Try and remember me beloved as the flower you plucked and not the flower you tread upon.
I have suffered much sweetheart because I have loved much. The measure of my agony has been in accord to the measure of my love.
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.
Darling Goodnight and Goodbye
Ruttie
I had written to you at Paris with the intention of posting the letter here but I felt that I would rather write to you afresh from the fullness of my heart. R.