From the Gujarati literary journal Visami Sadi [may the internet gods smile upon whomever digitized it], May 1916, comes this nugget of a Q&A with Mohammad Ali Jinnah [link and translation via Daily Times] :
A: Independence (swatantrata).
Q: What are the qualities a woman should be admired for?
A: Taking care of the elderly (vrudhdha-dari).
Q: What do you think is true success in life?
A: To be admired and loved by people (lok-no chhah melavva-ma).
Q: What’s your favourite pastime?
A: Horse riding (ghode-savari).
Q: What’s your favourite flower?
A: Lilly.
Q: Who’s your favourite writer?
A: Shakespeare.
Q: What’s your favourite book?
A: Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas).
Q: What’s your motto?
A: Never be depressed (kadi nirash na thavu).
“To be admired and loved by people.” That does explain some things.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Priceless.
He did have a Master Card.
Once I inquired Cowasjee (Dawn Pakistan ), How come Jinnah carved a smaller secular country from a big secular India.Cowasjee responded as below
“He did what he could to make a homeland for the Muslims who he feared
would
not be able to compete with the majority. Not confused – merely used
expediency.
Best
AC”
From the above nuggget, from 1916 it seems like poor guy(Jinnah) was just trying to meet his own need of being liked and admired by a lot of people(now 160 million and counting),evrything else in which he plated a role was incidental to it!
MA
This is fascinating. It sort of disturbs me to realize that several of his responses are identical or nearly so to those I would have given to those questions–even as recently as a few years ago. Monte Cristo is gold.