Rattanbai Jinnah

Rattanbai Jinnah, also known as Ruttie Jinnah, was the wife of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan and its first Governor-General. She was born in 1900 into a wealthy and influential Parsi family in Bombay. She was the only daughter of Sir Dinshaw Petit, a prominent industrialist and philanthropist, and Lady Dinabai Petit. She was educated at home and at a convent school. She was known for her beauty, intelligence, and charm. She met Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a rising lawyer and politician, in 1916 at a party hosted by her father. She was instantly attracted to him and he was impressed by her wit and vivacity. They fell in love and decided to get married, despite the opposition of their families and communities. Ruttie converted to Islam and married Jinnah in 1918, when she was eighteen and he was forty-two. Their marriage was a scandal in the society and they faced ostracism from their relatives and friends. They moved to a new house in Bombay and travelled extensively in India and abroad. Ruttie supported her husband in his political career and accompanied him to various meetings and events. She also became involved in social work and joined the All India Women's Conference. She was popular among the Muslim women and was affectionately called "Chhoti Begum" (Little Lady). She also developed a close friendship with Sarojini Naidu, a prominent poet and politician. Ruttie and Jinnah had one daughter, Dina, who was born in 1919. However, their marriage soon became strained due to Jinnah's busy schedule and political differences. Ruttie felt lonely and neglected and suffered from depression. She also developed a drug addiction and became ill. She died on her twenty-ninth birthday in 1929, of cancer. Jinnah was devastated by her death and never remarried. He buried her in Bombay and visited her grave every year until he moved to Pakistan in 1947. Ruttie was remembered as a brave and loyal wife who stood by her husband in his struggle for a separate homeland for the Muslims of India.