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A Bombay love story

Updated on: 26 July,2017 06:00 AM IST  |  Mumbai
Malavika Sangghvi |

Once in a while, you chance upon a book that haunts your waking hour and interferes with your sleep patterns

A Bombay love story

Sheela Reddy. Pic/Shireen Quadri
Sheela Reddy. Pic/Shireen Quadri


Once in a while, you chance upon a book that haunts your waking hour and interferes with your sleep patterns. Delhi-based author Sheela Reddy's Mr and Mrs Jinnah: The marriage that rocked India, is such a book.


Meticulously researched, it charts the tumultuous love affair between MA Jinnah, one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian Independence struggle, and the high-born, high-strung and wildly romantic Ruttie Petit, daughter of the fabulously wealthy and well connected Petits of Mumbai. What makes the story of the brilliant, but essentially frosty lawyer, and the object of his affection, the free-spirited young beauty, even more riveting, is that it is set against the backdrop of India's freedom struggle, and many iconic figures like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu, and even MC Chagla, play a significant role in the tale.


The book cover
The book cover

Last week, Reddy launched the book in Mumbai, and though a deadline kept us from attending, we were curious to know what it felt like - after all, it was such a Bombay story in the first place.

"Bombay and the Taj, where much of the book is set, is as important as any character in the book," said Reddy from Delhi. "The best part was meeting so many people who lived next door to the Jinnahs."

Had any relatives of the Jinnahs, the Petits, or the Wadias (Bombay Dyeing Chairman Nusli Wadia's mother, after all, is Ruttie Petit's daughter) responded to her portrayal of their ancestors?

"I have heard nothing from them either before or after the book. Excepting Syloo Mathai, a former Petit, and first cousin to Ruttie Jinnah, who was kind enough to attend the launch and stay throughout," she said.

And finally, why did Reddy, a journalist since the '70s, and the mother of best-selling author Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan, embark on the book in the first place? "Out of curiosity - to try and see if I could find out more about these enigmatic, shadowy figures we know so little about," she replied. "But very soon, as I came up against Jinnah's steadfast refusal to yield himself to my biographical eye, I became obsessed with uncovering as much of him as I could from whatever source I could find - even motor car licence records (which showed me where he resided in which year).

If there's one book you read this season, pick up Mr and Mrs Jinnah: The marriage that rocked India. And be prepared to lose some sleep.

In her mother's footsteps
This weekend in Delhi saw society's favourite designer Rohit Bal put together a show at the Bikaner House, and while he got his friend, actor Arjun Rampal to walk as his showstopper, the other models featured much of Delhi's society, including FDCI president Sunil Sethi and former Dior girl Kalyani Chawla, who walked alongside her lovely daughter Tahira Tara (who turned 18 recently.)

Tahira Tara and Kalyani Chawla Tahira Tara and Kalyani Chawla 

"Walking for the master couturier, with my baby-no-more! Thank you Rohit Bal," posted Kalyani, along with this picture of her and her daughter. Incidentally, the mother-daughter duo were spotted not-so-long-ago on the French Riviera, when they'd attended the glamorous birthday celebrations of Carol Asscher in Monaco, from where they'd posted photos with singer Pharell Williams in Paris! Some girls have all the fun!

Framing the foodies
"It's probably the first time the stand-alone hospitality industry has been appreciated in such a big manner", says an F&B insider about the recent large mural on the wall of a food court in Delhi, which features the faces of industry stalwarts like Zorawar Kalra of Massive Restaurants, AD Singh of the Olive Group, Riyaaz Amlani of Impresario, chef Manish Mehrotra of Indian Accent, chef Ritu Dalmia of Diva, and Priyank Sukhija of Tamasha; all depicted as taking a ride on the Delhi Metro.

The mural also includes the face of our friend, the larger than life food critic Sourish Bhattacharyya, who took to social media to express his appreciation. "It's a great feeling to be sharing space in a mural honouring the leaders of the F&B world. Thanks for the gesture. And I believe the food court is rocking," he wrote.

Bitter fall out
So that's the way the cookie crumbles. Yesterday, when an unseemly squabble broke out on Twitter between a former TV anchor and the TV channel she once worked at, there were many who could not believe that the two, long regarded as the most ethical and high-minded media entities in the business, would be embroiled in such a squalid broil.

The spark? Many months after the anchor had jumped ship and launched her new company, the TV channel had gone ahead and launched a new show - and here's what's breathtaking - with the same name!

What's worse is that its employees appeared to try and deflect accusations of blatant plagiarism by claiming that the name was a 'generic word'.

"We wondered why the high-profile anchor had not rushed to her erstwhile channel's defence during its recent truck with regulatory bodies," said a media insider. "Now we understand: the parting had not been as seamless as it had been made out to be. And now, with this public war of words, it appears to be a bitter fall out." Indeed.

Immortal words
"My first non-fiction book, Immortal India, is my attempt to explore modern issues that India faces through the lens of its ancient wisdom. There are wonderful, liberal and positive messages hidden in our ancient texts, on subjects as varied as women's rights, individual rights, LGBT rights, freedom of expression and the spirit of questioning, besides many others," says India's top storyteller, Amish Tripathi about his new book, when we spoke to him a few hours after he announced it during a Facebook Live session yesterday. "Read my book to see how our ancestors truly rocked! We should aim to be worthy of them."

Amish Tripathi
Amish Tripathi

About his taking on a new genre, after so many successful years as a writer of fiction, Amish responded by pointing out that even his fiction books were predicated on a strong treatise of philosophical fact.

And from his legion of loyal readers, he asked for some indulgence. "Thank you so much for your love and support to all my fiction books," he said. "Now, I am inflicting some non-fiction on you. Laaj rakh leejiyega!"

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