Did Mohammad Ali Jinnah's wife, Ruttie, impact the creation of Pakistan? Did she have a posthumous influence on Pakistan's polity? Does her legacy still 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 understudied figure in history.
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.