Remembering “Plain Mr. Jinnah”

Posted on December 25, 2009
Filed Under >Adil Najam, History, People, Photo of the Day
40 Comments
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Adil Najam

There picture are not of very high quality, but I am very fond of them because they depict a very different side of Mohammad Ali Jinnah from the one that our official discourse allows us to see. Today, on Mr. Jinnah’s 133rd birthday, I suspect that the Quaid-i-Azam – who always preferred to be “Plain Mr. Jinnah” would have fondly welcomed these photographs rather than the rather stern ones that have been flashing on our television screens all day.

These pictures depict a side of “Plain Mr. Jinnah” that we have often ignored, and sometimes purposely tried to hide.

It is a more human side. A less camouflaged side. A side that depicts a ‘normal’ person–flaws and all–rather than a ‘perfect leader.’

It is a side that, in fact, makes Mr. Jinnah more complete than our official depictions would have him be. Without this side, he cannot be complete or be completely understood.

The picture on the top-left was taken in Bombay with his daughter Dina and his dogs; top-right is taken on a vacation in Kashmir (I believe), with Dina and Begum Liaquat Ali Khan; the third and fourth pictures may well be from the same vacation in Kashmir.

40 responses to “Remembering “Plain Mr. Jinnah””

  1. Nadeem Ahsan says:

    On this 133rd Birthday of Jinnah, Pakistanis cry with joy, Pakistanis weep with hope, Pakistanis live with courage and wish that the future is as bright as our past.

  2. Kazmi says:

    Great pictures and excellent thoughts.
    This is the Jinnah that is even more impressive than the text book version.

  3. Watan Aziz says:

    Thanks!

  4. Zara Shahid says:

    Jinnah- a most spectacular leader, a most clever lawyer, a most successful politician, a most pleasant talker and of course a great person.
    There is not enough that can be said about our great Jinnah, some one who made our existance evident on the world map.
    there is not a leader who has achieved what our Jinnah pursued.
    this is a greay site as it mentions my respected quaid.
    plus, the pictures are just great.!!!!
    one of our Jinnah’s sayings are: ‘Work, work, work and you are bound to succeed’

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