Saviour or Tinpot Dictator?

Dear Harish Hyd,

Like I said... more of the same.

``I`ve provided three sources that conclusively prove that it was the ML`s doing``

Nope. The three sources (for which you did not give any page numbers) do not prove any such thing... They did say that Direct Action Day led to violence ... but they have not apportioned blame as such.

``Liaquat Ali Khan, Raja Ghanzafar Ali Khan, Ghulam Mustafa Shah Gilani, and Ghulam Hussain Hadayatullah were Punjabis``

Liaqat Ali Khan was from UP but he was a Punjabi and no where near Bengal.
Ghazanfar Ali was also not present in Bengal.
Ghulam Mustafa Shah Gilani was from Multan environs.
Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah was from Sindh.

The point is that none of these leaders were involved in any violence in Calcutta or any where else... despite what they might have said ... long before DAD was even announced.
H V Hodson`s quote is very clear. It absolves Muslim League of any blame. I have quoted the exact page number and when you read your own selective quote in the context you will see that my reading is correct.


``The mind of a fool is like the pupil of the eye. The more light you shine on it, the more it contracts``.

I must agree with this statement after seeing the futility of shining light(s) -heck spot lights- on your mind for many years ... As for Jinnah and Ispahani`s correspondence - I`ll have to locate it but I quoted it once before as well.


``MN Roy was a charlatan``

Well apparently International Humanist and Ethical Union which he founded and which continues to do good work all over the world doesn`t think so.

http://www.iheu.org

Nor do the guys who built the huge M N Roy human development centre in Mumbai.

But then again anyone who disagrees with you or your narrow view of history is a charlatan. That is your tolerance I suppose.

Please produce some arguments as to why you feel he is a charlatan other than the fact that he thought Gandhi was a medieval fascist?

Mian Manto,

Like it was said in #505, you throw an avalanche of selective quotes for tonnes of ill-reputed sources - pretending that the filthy stink is not there! You, the chowk editors, and their lapdogs are the only ones to lap it up.

Let me quote the following from #505, for your convenience.

``.... you fail to sway anybody, except those (like the editor) who are already your ideological soul-mates! At least they know when to keep their little mouths shut!

You stand alone - a solitary figure - like a wanna-be Mahatma - being egged-on and holding on to the crutches of the Khalistani writer crowds, and the racist South African Arthur Kemp and Jihadi/ISI-origin sites like ``dalitstan``.

You throw ``land-mines`` - like that charge of ``murder cover-up`` against Gandhi - and NOBODY picks it up - because unlike you, they know a dud when they see it. You do so, too - but try to pass it as a legitimate charge from a legitimate source - therein lies your dishonesty!

You do exactly what most lawyers for criminals do - their objective is to make their client get off - by saying that ``somebody else`` did IT - so they throw dust into everybody`s eyes.

You don`t throw dust - you practically start a sandstorm! The experience is as enjoyable as being exposed to the most desperate of used-car salesmen - or the paan-chewers of Banarasi lanes exhorting people to climb up those steps!

Your arguments have more holes than Swiss cheese. Your credibility gaps are so wide that Kaptain here could drive his whole truckload of army supplies (bootlegged for profit) through it. I can even visualize Omar R. Quraishi doubled up all over in pain - clutching his tummy - because too much laughter can hurt!

Your credibility is more abstract than the ``ether`` of a few centuries ago - in your mind, it exists everywhere - in reality, it exists nowhere!

Paradoxically, the very fact that you have no credibility is also your best insurance policy in current-day Pakistan!

How so?

The day mian Musharraf and his GHQ start thinking that you represent any serious threat to their way of doing things - is the day you could get your rear kicked into the slammer - and will perhaps also be the day you will start singing their praises.

You will then immediately start seeing things in a new light.

It could even become yet another day of a brand new conversion for you - the day you start seeing the army and GHQ in a new light!

Sometimes the lights hurt those eyes!

So be very thankful that you look like a chump!``

In anticipation of another hearty THANK YOU, let me address the following to you!

You are welcome!

#556 by majumdar

If the above is true, it only shows that the said gentleman was a liar and a scoundrel of the first order. I am surprised that you choose to quote him.

Majumdar Sahib, just came back to take a quick look and saw your post here. Not just this Roy dude, Asiananda, Arthur Kemp, and Richard Grenier are a few other sources that Yasser mian has quoted. Please google up these names and you`ll know the shady nature of these ``scholars``.

#553 by Mantolives

What I have said repeatedly is that it is not certain which party started it but what is certain is that Muslims were not prepared and Hindus were armed to the teeth. This in of itself rules out any pre-planned violence on part of the Muslim League.

You saying so is not nearly enough Yasser. I`ve provided three sources that conclusively prove that it was the ML`s doing, and the only one you provided, Hodson`s words say that the ML didn`t intend to start violence. Now I`m sure you understand there is a world of difference between ``did not do it`` and ``did not intend to do it``, that`s basic English, so there.

Furthermore I said that there was no evidence with the British government that suggested Muslim League`s involvement in violence...

Like I said, Wavell`s words amount to a hill of beans, because we know the secret wheeling-dealing between him and Jinnah during those heady days. I can provide the evidence if you wish Jinnah to be exposed further.

Jinnah was in touch with Suhrawardy and M A Ispahani - we know that M A Isphahani was repeatedly sending reports to him about whether Suhrawardy was doing enough to stop the violence or not.

Yet another unsubstantiated claim. Where is the evidence dear Yasser?

The ``provocative`` statements you quoted were mostly by Punjabi politicians like Noon or Abdurrab Nishtar. On 14th August 1946, Jinnah made it clear that they were not allowed to resort to any violence and they did not.

Liaquat Ali Khan, Raja Ghanzafar Ali Khan, Ghulam Mustafa Shah Gilani, and Ghulam Hussain Hadayatullah were Punjabis? Thanks for redefining the word ``Punjabi``. I didn`t know it was soooo all-inclusive.

As H V Hodson says on page 166 of the Great Divide... the direct action day remained a peaceful day of civil disobedience all over - as league leaders had wanted- except in one place.

The very same Hodson said, ``if the Muslims started it, they were its worst victims``. In any case, common sense would tell us that after months of being provoked, only a fool like Jinnah could have expected DAD to pass off peacefully.

If you are ignorant of M N Roy then it is your fault and shows how sheltered your knowledge base really is.

Yaar, now you`re getting hilarious. M N Roy was a charlatan to the bone. Read up on him and then talk to me.

I have quoted Asiananda as one of the many authors - others being H M Seervai and S K Majumdar... you`ve still not been able to prove why you feel he is not a scholar and why Gurcharan Singh- a corrupt SPGC chairman atleast according Khushwant Singh- is better than him.

Gurcharan Singh Talib was appointed by the SGPC to inquire into the riots, so he`s more likely than Asiananda to have been to the scene of the violence. Asiananda was perhaps a kid when DAD took place. So don`t even compare the two.

We can go over this one more if you wish... whatever it takes to pry open that mind of yours.

Sure. But I`m not doing this to pry open your mind. As someone said, ``The mind of a fool is like the pupil of the eye. The more light you shine on it, the more it contracts``.

BJKumar,

Please prove how M N Roy or H M Seervai or Asiananda are sources of ill-repute?

If you can`t prove or impeach their credibility than know that you are all that you accuse me of ....

Please answer a simple and direct question. Don`t fire from other people`s shoulders.

#556 Majumdar

[...a scoundrel of the first order. I am surprised that you choose to quote him. ]

On the other hand, I think it is highly consistent of Yasser. He has made it is life-long career to quote highly shady sources of ill-repute for the purposes of revising history - and making sure that no historian of repute ever reads it.

In that crime, he is actively aided and abetted by the shady ``crooks`` who run this web-site - the ones with the jihadi bed-fellows, the ISI ``hubbey-watans``, and their sympathizers on both sides of the border, not to mention the flaky lapdogs.

Truth and objectivity? You are talking to a lawyer, for chrissake! Just like that scroundrel lawyer of the past who got all of us into this crappy dul-dul to begin with!

The dul-dul whose filth mian Manto and the chowk money-bags so much enjoy licking!

Dear Majumdar,

Is that your antipathy for the commies speaking?

Actually that is where M N Roy was different than the other two names...

Around mid 1930s he became disillusioned by marxism and became convinced that secular humanism was the way to go forward.

--


Philosopher of the Humanist Revolution

Babu Gogineni

The 14th IHEU World Humanist Congress which attracted 600 delegates from 24 countries took place in the partially-built M.N. Roy Memorial Human Development Campus at Mumbai in Jan `99.

But who was M.N. Roy and why is the world`s largest humanist campus being built in his name? Over-view of the life of a founder Vice-President of IHEU.

Humanist philosopher and activist with rare intellectual gifts and vast practical experience, M.N. Roy was a leading participant in revolutionary movements in four countries spread-out in three continents.

A school dropout, Roy joined the ranks of the Bengal militants as a teenager, and soon became a leader of the revolutionary movement which aimed to overthrow British colonialism by means of an armed insurrection. Roy`s clandestine travels in search of German and Japanese arms to achieve this purpose began in 1915. In the course of the next 15 years, Roy realised that the Japanese and the Germans had their own designs on India, discovered Karl Marx in a New York library, established in Mexico in 1917 the first communist party outside the Soviet Union, disagreed at the Second Communist International in 1920 with Lenin on the National and Colonial Question, was soon elected to the highest decision making bodies of the Communist International, travelled to China as sole emissary of the Communist International with a brief to transform the Right Wing Kuomintang into a revolutionary instrument in the hands of the proletariat, befriended Gramsci and Einstein, inspired and influenced Nehru, earned universal respect for his courage of convictions, and was expelled in 1929 from the Communist International for his heretical and non-doctrinaire views.

Even though much is now known about this phase of Roy`s life, one of his biographers despaired that the story of his early life may never be fully told: official documents and his notes relating to China and Russia were suppressed or destroyed because he fell out with Stalin, the manuscript of a magnum opus The Rise and Fall of the British Empire written in 1929 and predicting the fall of the Empire was destroyed by the Nazis, to complicate matters further, Roy wrote in several languages - Bengali, English, Spanish, French, German and Russian - and often in proscribed journals and used over 15 noms de plume… Indeed, M.N. Roy is itself the most permanent of the several pseudonyms that Narendranath Bhattacharya (1887 - 1954) adopted in 1917 to escape from the American police when he jumped bail!

Roy`s clandestine return to India in 1930 after spending 15 years in 17 countries finally led to his arrest, in camera trial and imprisonment by the British. Despite the difficult conditions of his imprisonment as an ordinary criminal and not as a political prisoner, Roy continued with his prolific writing, and produced 9000 pages of writings, some of which have later been published as Fascism; Historical Role of Islam; Heresies of the 20th Century; Nationalism: An Antiquated Cult; Science and Philosophy etc. As a tribute to his sole companion in prison, Roy also wrote an amusing best selling critique of Hinduism: Memoirs of a Cat!

On release from prison in 1936, Roy formally announced his break with Marxism by rejecting historical determinism and class war, and declared that without a cultural and philosophical revolution no social, political and economic revolution was possible. Terming this desired cultural transformation a 20th century renaissance, Roy later founded in 1946, along with his second wife Ellen Gottschalk and other colleagues, the Indian Renaissance Institute for `spreading the spirit of Enlightenment, Humanism and the Search for Truth`.

Roy formulated his materialistic approach in 22 thesis where he attempted to restore to 19th century Radicalism its humanist essence, and hence called his philosophy Radical Humanism. Roy`s approach integrates the scientific attitude and the democratic spirit - democracy is not merely a process, it is a system of values. For the Radical Humanist, the quest for freedom and search for truth constitute the basic urge of human progress. The quest for freedom is the continuation, on a higher level - of intelligence and emotion - of the biological struggle for existence.

The method and programme of a social revolution must therefore be based on a reassertion of the basic principle of social progress. Hence, the programme of the humanist revolution will be based on the principles of freedom, reason and social harmony. In this way, Radicalism gives to freedom a moral-intellectual as well as social content; and it also offers a comprehensive theory of social progress in which both the dialectics of economic determinism and dynamics of ideas find their due recognition; and it deduces from the same a method and programme of social revolution in our time. Radical Humanism provides an approach to the reconstruction of the world as a commonwealth and fraternity of free men, by the collective endeavour of spiritually emancipated moral men.

In 1944 Roy prepared a draft Constitution for India where he proposed an alternative system of political economy emphasising decentralisation and devolution of power, which would be in tune with his humanistic approach of restoring sovereignty to the individual in society. Roy soon rejected political parties themselves as legitimate instruments for the spread of democratic values, and in 1948 dissolved his own Radical Democratic Party which he had founded in 1940 to promote a humanist approach to politics and (most unpopularly) to support Britain`s anti-fascist war efforts. Roy`s alternative proposal for a humanist society was a partyless but organised democracy with a network of people`s committees as its base. His ideas are elaborated in a collection of speeches: People, Power and Parties. After dissolution of the political party, Roy spent the rest of his life working for his cherished Renaissance, and the Radical Humanist Movement joined hands with similar groups in Europe and America to found in 1952 IHEU. Roy was closely involved in the establishment of the IHEU, but could not attend due to an accident to which he finally succumbed. He was elected a founder Vice-President in absentia.

A revolutionary at heart, and fired by the ideal of Human Freedom, Roy finally became a philosopher of the modern renaissance and that of the humanist revolution.

Roy`s approach is summarised by Justice Tarkunde: ``A humanist revolution, which is designed to achieve the ideal of comprehensive democracy, must necessarily partake of the character of the ideal. A humanist revolution is also a path to be traversed rather than a goal to be achieved. A Radical Humanist who traverses the way to a humanist revolution is, therefore, succeeding all the time``.

And Roy`s life is summarised in the eloquent tribute paid by the late Prof. G.D. Parikh: ``Beginning as a nationalist worshipping geography, he could make any land his own. Appearing to swear by a dogma, he could struggle as a rationalist; seeming to believe in ideologies, he retained an indomitable interest in ideas. Founder of a political party, he never became partisan. A politician universally respected for honesty and integrity, a man of action hailed as a philosopher. He did not strive for greatness, he strove to lead a good life and to bring such living within the reach of all those who live``.

One may not agree with Roy`s ideas or thoughts, but a fitting memorial for this symbol of the indomitable human spirit has long been overdue


--

M N Roy was another remarkable figure of South Asia that Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Indians can truly be proud of and together.

Manto,

(M N Roy was a member of the Comintern along with Stalin and Trotsky and a global giant for the communists. )

If the above is true, it only shows that the said gentleman was a liar and a scoundrel of the first order. I am surprised that you choose to quote him.

Regards

Harish mian

Saying it doesn`t matter. That you`ve never been able to have this cheese is the proof in the pudding. Will await your response - though I fear it maybe same old rotten cheese as usual.

#553 by Mantolives

Yaar Yasser, I`ve seen your post and I`ll reply to it later (probably tomorrow), but at this time, suffice it to say that it has more holes than Swiss cheese.

Dear Harish,

First of all... I think Salim has answered questions about his positions very well... I don`t think we need to go in circles discussing what you think or I think his positions are...

I`ll gladly answer your questions again...

``1. How does the fact that more Muslims than Hindus died in the DAD violence prove that Hindus started it?``

What I have said repeatedly is that it is not certain which party started it but what is certain is that Muslims were not prepared and Hindus were armed to the teeth. This in of itself rules out any pre-planned violence on part of the Muslim League. Furthermore I said that there was no evidence with the British government that suggested Muslim League`s involvement in violence...

``2. What was Jinnah doing when violence raged for almost a week?``

Jinnah was in touch with Suhrawardy and M A Ispahani - we know that M A Isphahani was repeatedly sending reports to him about whether Suhrawardy was doing enough to stop the violence or not.

3. What did Jinnah do to restrain his Leaguers when they were making provocative statements?

The ``provocative`` statements you quoted were mostly by Punjabi politicians like Noon or Abdurrab Nishtar. On 14th August 1946, Jinnah made it clear that they were not allowed to resort to any violence and they did not. As H V Hodson says on page 166 of the Great Divide... the direct action day remained a peaceful day of civil disobedience all over - as league leaders had wanted- except in one place.


``You do Yasser, which is why you quote Asiananda and M N Roy, both of whom are perhaps more well-known in Timbuktu and Lahore than in India. ``

a- M N Roy was a member of the Comintern along with Stalin and Trotsky and a global giant for the communists. He later became a secular humanist and led the famous radical humanism movement. If you are ignorant of M N Roy then it is your fault and shows how sheltered your knowledge base really is.

b-I have quoted Asiananda as one of the many authors - others being H M Seervai and S K Majumdar... you`ve still not been able to prove why you feel he is not a scholar and why Gurcharan Singh- a corrupt SPGC chairman atleast according Khushwant Singh- is better than him.

We can go over this one more if you wish... whatever it takes to pry open that mind of yours.

-YLH

Dear Zeemax...

An excellent selection indeed.

From our own chowk archives...


My Sahib
Godot
August 14, 2001


An English translation of Saadat Hasan Manto’s ‘Mera Sahib’


“It happened in 1937. The Muslim League was in its juvenility. I, too, was a young man. I wanted to do something. Anything. Besides, I was healthy and strong, and wanted to engage in a rumble. I wanted to look for trouble and pick fights. I was at an age when one longs to do something. By something, I mean to say, if not a great adventure than something!

“After this brief intro I return to the time when Ghalib was young. Don’t know if he ever participated in any political movements or not, but Yours Truly was a very active member of the Muslim League. Ghazi Corps was comprised of youths like me, and I was a sincere member of it. I stress ‘sincere’ because in those days I had nothing else.

“It was in those times that Mohammad Ali Jinnah came to Delhi. The Muslims took out a huge and a wonderful procession in his honor. Obviously, Ghazi Corps participated in this procession with full vigor. Our leader was Anwar Qureshi sahib. He was a strong young man who has been given an honor of, and is now known as, ‘Poet of Pakistan’. Our Corps’ youths were singing an anthem written by him. I don’t know if we sang in tune with each other or not, the only thing I remember is nobody cared about singing in synch.

“This historical procession started from Delhi’s historical Jamia Masjid and, roaring, passed through Chandni Chowk, Lal Kewan, Hoz Qazi, and Chawri Bazar and ended at its destination, meaning at the Muslim League office. In this historical procession people yelled “Qaid-e-Azam,” which was considered illegal, for Mohammad Ali Jinnah. A six-horse coach was provided for him. All members of Muslim League were there in this procession. There were lots of cars, motorcycles, bi-cycles and camels. But it was exceedingly well organized. Qaid-e-Azam, who by nature was a very civil and organized person, seemed very pleased to see such civility.

“I caught many of his glimpses. I don’t know my reaction the first time I saw him. Now, when I think about it and analyze it I conclude that, because sincerity is colorless, my reaction too was colorless. At that time if someone had pointed me to any man and had said ‘there is your Qaid-e-Azam,’ my adoration would have believed him. But when I saw him many times there in that crowd of people and cars, my ego was hurt: my Leader and so skinny…such a weakling! Ghalib has said: He comes to my house God blesses / Sometimes I look at him and sometimes I look at my house.

“It was his kindness and God’s blessing that he came to our house. I swear to God when I saw him and his frail body and then my strong physique, I wished either I contract or he expands. In the heart of my heart, to keep him safe from evil eye, I had prayed for him and his feeble body. The wounds he had inflicted were a common topic among his enemies.

“Circumstances change. Situation arose such that the art bug that was sleeping in me started to crawl. I felt like testing my kismet in Bombay in that field. I was attracted to drama ever since I was a kid. I figured maybe there I could show off my skills. Now, on one hand a desire to work for the nation and on the other, acting! A man is weirdly contradictory!

“I arrived in Bombay. In those days Imperial Film Company was at the top. It was difficult to get in, but somehow I got in. I worked as an extra for eight anas a day, and used to dream that I will be a top movie star one day. With God’s blessings, I am very talkative. I am not a very pleasant talker, but I am not that unpleasant either. Urdu is my mother tongue, a language the stars of Imperial Films did not know. Urdu helped me out more so in Bombay than it did in Delhi. Almost all the stars there had me read and write letters in response to those that came to them in Urdu. All this reading and writing for them did not help me, though. I was an extra and remained an extra.

“During this time I became friends with Buddhan, the very special driver of Saith Ardesher Irani, the owner of Imperial Film Company. Buddhan paid back my friendship with him by teaching me to drive a car in his free time. But his free times were brief, and I was always scared of the Saith lest he finds it out. I never really became a skillful driver. Without Buddhan I could drive the Buick on an alif-like straight road. My knowledge about the parts of the car, however, remained zero.

“I was obsessed with acting. But that was in my head. My heart still belonged to the Muslim League and Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. At Imperial Film Company, on the Kennedy Bridge, in the Bhindi Bazar, on the Mohammad Ali Road, and at the Play House, we used to have a discussion, with groups of mostly Muslims, about the behavior of the Congress. Everyone at Imperial knew that I was a Muslim Leaguey and adored Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. But it was a time when Hindus did not try to kill anyone who uttered the word “Qaid-e-Azam.” Pakistan was not yet on the horizon. I think when people at Imperial Film Company heard me praise Qaid-e-Azam they thought he was a film star and I was a fan of his. That is why one day the biggest film hero D. Blemoria said to me, ‘hey, here’s your Jinnah sahib,’ while moving Times of India towards me. I thought there was a picture of him in the newspaper. But I didn’t see it. So I said, ‘why, bhaiya, where is his picture?’ Blemoria’s John Gilbert style thin mustache expanded with a grin, ‘no photo woto, this is an advertisement.’ I asked, ‘Advertisement? What kind of advertisement?’ Blemoria took the paper back and showed me a long column and said, ‘Mr. Jinnah needs a motor mechanic who can take charge of his garage.’ I saw the ad where Blemoria finger was resting and said ‘Oh!’ as if I read the whole ad. The truth is I knew as much English as Blemoria knew Urdu.

“As I already told you, my driving was limited to driving a car on an alif-like straight road. I knew nothing about the mechanism of the car. Why does the engine start when you press the self, if some had asked me that question I would have said that because it is the law of motors; and why it sometimes doesn’t start, then I would have said that is also the law of motors and human intelligence has nothing to do with it!

“You’d be surprised to know that I noted down the address of Jinnah sahib I took from Blemoria and decided to go there the next morning. I neither thought nor expected to get the job. I just wanted to see him in his residence from up close. Therefore, taking my sincerity as a diploma, I arrived at his beautiful mansion, located near the Pleasant Road, on the Malabar Hill. Outside was a Pathan guard. He was wearing an enormous shalwar and a silk turban, was very clean, strong, and intimidating. His appearance made me very happy. I felt strangely satisfied that there was not much difference in his and my biceps, maybe of half-an-inch or so.

“There were many candidates. They were all standing with their credentials under their arms. I joined them. The funny thing was, forget about the credentials, I didn’t even have a simple driving license. My heart was beating hard just thinking I am about to meet Qaid-e-Azam any moment. I was still thinking about my heartbeat when Qaid-e-Azam appeared in the porch. Everybody turned attention. I moved to the side. With him was his tall and skinny sister whose pictures I had seen in many newspapers and magazines. On the side was his respectful assistant.

“Jinnah sahib fitted his one-glass round eyeglass on his eye and started to scrutinize the candidates. When his eye turned to me, I moved back further. Immediately his piercing voice was loudly heard, but I only heard “You.” I knew that much English. It meant “Tum.” But who was that “Tum” that he addressed? I thought it was the guy next to me, so nudging him I said, ‘I think he’s calling you.’ The guy asked hopefully, ‘me, sahib?’ Qaid-e-Azam said again, ‘No. Tum.’ His skinny but iron-like strong finger was pointing at me. My whole body trembled, ‘Ji, ji, me?’ ‘Yes.’ This three-knot-three bullet ripped through my heart and brain. My throat, which used to yell “Qaid-e-Azam,” was completely dry. I couldn’t say anything. But when he took off his monocle and said “All right,” I felt I might have said something that he heard, or he understood my feelings and said “All right” just to save me from further torture. He turned around and said something to his very handsome and healthy secretary and went inside with his sister. Totally confused, as I hurried to get out of there his assistant called me and said that the Sahib wants me present at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. I couldn’t ask the assistant why the Sahib wanted me; I couldn’t tell him that I was not at all capable and not qualified for the job for which Qaid-e-Azam put out an ad. The assistant went inside and I returned home.

“I was there again at ten the next morning. When informed I was there, the handsome and very well dressed secretary came out and, to my surprise, told me that the Sahib had selected me and wants me to take charge of the garage immediately. When I heard this I felt like spilling my guts and tell him that Qaid-e-Azam had misunderstood Yours Truly, and that I showed-up just to have a little fun; why are you putting this garage responsibility on these incompetent shoulders. But I don’t know why I couldn’t say all that. As a result, I was immediately given that responsibility and the keys were handed to me. There were four cars of different makes, and I only knew how to drive Saith Ardesher Irani’s Buick, and on an alif-like straight road at that. There were many turns to get to Malabar Hill, and Azad was going to carry not only his own self in the car. God knows how many different places for important work he had to carry this Leader to whom belonged lakhs of Muslims lives.

“I thought of dropping the keys and running away; run straight to my house, pick up my stuff, and catch the first train to Delhi. But I didn’t think this was the right thing to do. I figured tell the truth to Jinnah sahib, apologize to him, and return to the place where I really belonged. But trust me, sir, I did not get a chance to do this for the next six months.”

“How so?” I asked.

Mohammad Hanif Azad continued, “Listen to this now. The very next day I was ordered to bring the car. Those things that fly at times like these, almost flew. I decided that the moment the Sahib comes, I’d say salam to him, return the keys, and fall at his feet. But it couldn’t happen. When he came to the porch, I was so intimidated by him that the incompetent me couldn’t utter a word. Besides, Fatima sahiba was with him. To fall into someone’s feet in the presence of a woman, Manto sahib, was too much.”

I saw bashfulness in Azad’s big eyes and smiled, “khair, what happened then?”

“What happened then, Manto sahib, is that Yours Truly had to start the car. It was a new Packard. I started the car with the name of Allah, and took it out of the mansion very cleanly. When I got to the bottom of the Malabar Hill near the red light at the corner...you know what a red light is, right?”

“Yes, yes,” I shook my head affirmatively.

“Well, sahib, that became a problem. Master Buddhan had told me to just press the breaks and everything should be alright. In confusion I hit the break with such clumsiness that the car stopped with a sudden jolt. The cigar fell off Qaid-e-Azam’s hands. Fatima Jinnah jumped forward two balisht and started cursing at me. A deep fear seeped through my entire body. My whole body started to tremble. I felt dizzy. Qaid-e-Azam picked up his cigar and said something in English, which probably meant ‘lets go back.’ I obeyed the order. He asked for a new car and a driver and left for where ever he had to go. I did not get to serve him for the next six months after that incident.”

“To serve him like that?” I asked, grinning.

Azad also smiled. “Yes. You figure the Sahib would not give me another chance. There were other drivers. They served him. The assistant told the drivers the night before the car and the driver that were needed the next day. If I’d asked him about me he couldn’t give me a satisfactory answer. I found out later what was in Sahib’s mind. No one could say anything about him with any certainty, nor could ask him about such matters. He spoke only when he had to, and listened only when he needed to. That’s why, although being so close to him, I could not find out why he kept me like a useless car part.”

“It’s possible that he forgot about you,” I said to Azad.

A huge laughter came out of Azad’s throat, “No, sir, no. The Sahib never forgot anything even if he wanted to. He knew very well that Azad is breaking free bread. And, Manto sahib, when Azad breaks bread they are not little bread. Look at this built.”

I looked at Azad. I don’t know what he was like in ‘37 or ’38, but I saw a well built and a strong man sitting in front of me. You must have known him as an actor. Before the Division he worked in many films in Bombay. With his other actor friends he is barely making a living in Lahore these days. I found out last year from a friend of mine that this big-eyes, dark-skinned, well-built actor was a driver to Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah for some time. I had been, therefore, eyeing him ever since. Whenever I met him, I brought up the topic of his Master and collected his stories in my head.

With an intention to write this essay, when I listened to his stories yesterday, I saw a very interesting angle to Qaid-e-Azam’s life. What had struck Mohammad Hanif Azad most was that his Master liked physical strength. Just as Allama Iqbal liked those things that were tall and majestic, Qaid-e-Azam liked strong things. That’s why when he picked his servants, their health and physical strength was the first thing he noticed.

In those days, of which Mohammad Hanif Azad talked about, Qaid-e-Azam’s secretary was a very handsome man. All of his drivers had exemplary physical built. The guards for his mansion were also selected based on physical strength. What could be an explanation for this other than that, psychologically, although Late Jinnah was physically very weak but extremely strong from inside, he did not want to associate himself that was weak and feeble. When a person really likes something, he takes care of it real well. Qaid-e-Azam made sure all his well-built servants dressed very well. His Pathan chowkidar was ordered to dress his ethnic dress. Azad was not a Punjabi, but was at times asked to wear a Punjabi turban. This headgear is quite impressive and one looks very impressive in it. Qaid-e-Azam seemed very pleased by it and used to award Azad whenever he put one on. If one thinks about it, Jinnah being so conscious of his own frail body was his very strength of his strong and powerful life. That was evident in the way he walked, talked, ate, and thought.

Mohammad Hanif Azad told me that Qaid-e-Azam ate very little. “He ate so little I wondered how he is alive. If I were forced to eat that little my fat would’ve started to melt the next day. Despite him eating so little, four or five chickens were cooked every day. But he used to eat only a very small cup of a chick’s soup. Fruits were delivered everyday, and lots of it; but all of it used to wind up in the servants’ bellies. Every night after the dinner, the Sahib would check the list of grocery and give me a one-hundred-rupee bill for the next day’s dinner.”

“One hundred rupees everyday?” I asked Azad.

“Yes, sir, exactly one hundred rupees. And the Sahib never asked what happened to it. Whatever remained of it got divided among the servants. Sometimes thirty rupees remained, sometimes forty, and sometimes even sixty or seventy. He must have known that we kept the remainder, but he never asked for it. However, Miss Jinnah was very clever. She used to get mad at us and say we all are thieves. But the way the Sahib treated us we used to think of his things as our own. So we kept quiet when she would lose her temper at us. At times like that the Sahib would say to her sister, ‘It is all right, it is all right,’ and that would be the end of it. But once “It is all right” did not end it. Miss Jinnah kicked the cooks out, not one but both cooks. Qaid-e-Azam had two cooks at the same time, one was an expert in Hindustani food and the other in English food. Usually the Hindustani cook was a waste and did not do anything. He got to cook maybe once in months. Once in a blue moon he would get an order to cook, but Qaid-e-Azam did not really care about that food.

“When both cooks got kicked out,” said Azad, “the Sahib did not say anything. He did not interfere in his sister’s affairs. So he started eating out in restaurants. During this time we had a ball. We would take the car out for hours, hang out, come back and tell them we could not find a cook. Finally, both cooked were asked to come back by Miss Jinnah.”

If a man does not eat much, he either hates those who eat a lot, or feels very happy to see others eat a lot. Qaid-e-Azam ate very little but he was very happy to see others eat a lot. That’s the reason he used to hand out one hundred rupees everyday and forget about it. It doesn’t mean he was a spendthrift. Mohammad Hanif Azad recounts an interesting incident.

“One evening in 1939, by the Warli Beach, I was driving the white Packard very slowly with the Sahib in it. The low waves were touching the shore gently. It was a beautiful but slightly chilly evening. The Sahib was in a really good mood. I took advantage of it and started talking about Eid. He knew immediately what I was after. I saw in the rear view mirror he took his never-separating cigar out of his mouth and, his thin lips smiling, said in a broken Urdu, ‘Well, well, you suddenly have become a Muslim, try to be a little bit Hindu also.” Four days earlier Qaid-e-Azam had turned Azad into a Muslim, meaning that he had given him two hundred rupees as an award. That‘s why he advised Azad to become a little bit Hindu. But that did not affect Azad. In this Eid Azad came to the film producer Syed Murtaza Jilani to affirm his Musalmani when I saw him and further interviewed him for this story.

Qaid-e-Azam’s private life is a mystery and will remain so forever. That is the general feeling. But I think his private life was so mixed-up with his political life that he had practically no private life left. His wife had passed away long time ago and his daughter married a Parsi against his wishes. Mohammad Hanif Azad told me, “The Sahib was in a great shock because of it. He wished his daughter had married a Muslim; the skin color or the ethnic background did not matter to him. His daughter argued that if he could marry to whom ever he wanted, how come he does not grant her the same freedom.”

Qaid-e-Azam had married the daughter of a very influential Parsi man. Everyone knows that. But very few people know the Parsi man was very unhappy about it and sought revenge. Some think he conspired to have Qaid-e-Azam’s daughter marry a Parsi. When I talked to Azad about it he said, “Only Allah knows. I only know that this was the second biggest shock to him after his wife’s death. He was greatly affected when he found out that his daughter married a Parsi. His face was a mirror of his feelings, and reaction to even a simple event could be seen on his face. A simple furrow in his eyebrow could become very scary. What must have gone through his heart, only the Late One could tell. What I found out from the outside sources is that he was very disturbed. He did not meet anyone for fifteen days. He must have smoked hundreds of cigars, and must have paced hundreds of miles in his own room.

“He walked a lot when he was in deep thoughts. In the dead of the night he would pace back and forth on the hard and spotless floor for hours. In calculated steps, from here to there, and there to here, in the measured distance, his white and black, black and white, or white and brown shoes used to make a strange tick tick sound as if a clock is telling the news about its life in a consistent manner. Qaid-e-Azam loved his shoes, perhaps because they were always at his feet and moved according to him.

“After fifteen days of constant mental and spiritual disturbance, he suddenly re-emerged. There was no sign of shock on his face any longer, although the sadness had left a slight wound in his neck. But it was still straight and stiff. It did not mean, however, that he had forgotten the shock.”

When Azad started to talk about this aspect of Qaid-e-Azam’s life a second time, I asked, “How do you know he had not forgotten that shock?”

Azad answered, “Nothing in a house can be hidden from the servants. Sometimes the Sahib would order to open a trunk. In this ship-like trunk were many clothes, of his late wife and of that disobedient daughter when she was a little girl. When those clothes were taken out, the Sahib would look at them with an intense quietness. Then a sudden sadness would cover his thin and very clean face. He would quietly say ‘It is all right, it is all right,’ take off his monocle and, wiping it, would walk away.

According to Mohammad Hanif Azad, “Qaid-e-Azam had three sisters: Fatima Jinnah, Rehmat Jinnah, and I don’t remember the name of the third one who lived in Dongri. At Jopati Corner, near Chinnai Motor Works, lived Rehmat Jinnah. Her husband was employed somewhere. Their income was very modest. Every month the Sahib would give me a sealed envelope that had money in it. He would also give me a parcel that perhaps contained clothes and things. I used to deliver these to Rehmat Jinnah. Miss Fatima Jinnah and the Sahib would pay visit there every once in a while. The sister who lived at Dongri was married. All I know about her is that she was well off and did not need anyone’s help. He had a brother. The Sahib would help him out routinely, but he was not allowed in the Sahib’s house.

“I had seen this brother of Qaid-e-Azam in Bombay. One evening, in a bar, I saw a man, who looked like Qaid-e-Azam, ordering half rum. The same feature, the same backcombed hair, almost the same white striped hair. When I inquired about him I found out that he is the brother of Mr Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Ahmed Ali. I kept looking at him. Sipping it slowly, he finished that half a glass of rum in a royal manner. It cost one rupee, which he paid as if he is paying a huge amount. From his attitude it appeared as if he is sitting at a bar in Taj Mehal Hotel, not in a flimsy and a cheap one. There was a gathering of Muslims just before the historic meeting between Gandhi and Jinnah. I had a number of friends at that gathering. They told me that Jinnah was on the platform giving a speech in his typical style, and far, at a distance, his brother Ahmed Ali, wearing his monocle, was standing in such a way as if he was chewing his brother’s words.

“Billiards was the only indoor game Qaid-e-Azam liked. He would order to open the billiards room when sometimes he felt like playing the game. Although every room was cleaned every day, the servants made sure the special room he ordered to open was very clean and everything in it was set properly before he walked in. Because I played the game a little, I was allowed in that room. Twelve balls would be presented to him, he would select and the game would begin. Miss Fatima Jinnah would stand nearby. The Sahib would light up a cigar, press it between his lips, and would analyze the position of the ball he was going to hit. He would spend many minutes in his analysis. With this angle. With that angle. He would weigh the cue in his hands and move his bony fingers on it as if it were a sarangi, mumble something, and take a position; but if another angle come to his mind, he would stop, think, make sure, hit the ball with the cue, and if successful, would look at his sister with a conquering smile.

“In the game of politics, Qaid-e-Azam was as careful. He would never decide immediately. He would analyze and scrutinize each problem as if it were a billiard ball. He would move his cue to hit only if he was certain. Before he struck, he would weigh his prey with his eyes carefully. He would consider all angles. He would select the weapon according to the size of his opponent. He was not a hunter who would pick up a gun and just shoot. He would make sure not to miss. He would know his prey’s every possible weakness before he aimed.”

According to Azad, “Qaid-e-Azam stayed away from the people who came by just to meet him. He hated useless and senseless talk; but only those talks that mattered, and even that had to be very precise and concise, in both what he had to say and hear. That’s why only a few people were allowed in his special room. There was only one sofa inside the room with a small side table on which he would drop the ashes of his cigar. Across the sofa were two showcases. He kept those Qurans in them that were given to him by his fans. That room contained his personal papers as well, where they were kept safely. He would spend most of his time in that room. There was no table there. If a person was asked in that room, he would stay at the door, listen, and walk out backwards. The empty side of the sofa had his papers all over it. If he wanted to write a letter, he would have the steno come in and take dictation. His tone had certain harshness. When he spoke one felt as if he was putting emphasis on those words that did not need emphasis.”

Judging from Azad’s testimonies, it seems the psychological reason for his harshness was his physical weakness. His life was more like a smooth pond, but he lived a life of a storm. Some people say that it was his inner strength that had him live for that long, that is, his awareness of his own physical weakness.

According to Azad, the Late Bahadur Yar Jung was among Qaid-e-Azam’s best friends. “It was only him with whom he was so frank. Whenever he came to visit, both men would talk about the country and politics like true best friends. At that time, Qaid-e-Azam would separate his outer shell from his inner self. He was the only one with whom the Sahib was so frank and open. One felt as if they were childhood buddies. When they talked to each other, one could hear the loud laughter coming out of the closed doors. Other than Bahadur Yar Jung, other Muslim League leaders, such as Raja Mahmud Abad, I. I. Chundrigarh, Maulana Zahid Husain, Nawabzadah Liaquat Ali Khan, Nawab Ismail, and Ali Imam sahib used to pay visit. But the Sahib dealt with them in a professional manner, not in a frank way reserved for Bahadur Yar Jung.”

“Khan Liaquat Ali Khan must have visited quite often,” I said to Azad.

Said Azad, “Yes, the Sahib treated him as if he were Sahib’s best student. And the Khan sahib listened to him very carefully, obeyed, and carried his orders. When he was asked to pay visit, sometimes he would ask me, ‘Hey, Azad, how’s Sahib’s mood today?’ I would tell him how his mood was. If the Sahib were not in his good mood, every wall in the mansion would know it.

“Qaid-e-Azam took great care in his servants’ character and personal behavior. Just as he hated bodily dirt and smell, he hated bad behavior and character. He liked his assistant very much, but was very irritated when he found out that the assistant was having an affair with an employed girl. He could not tolerate this irritation for long. The assistant was asked to see him, and was fired. But after firing him, the Sahib started treating him as a friend.”

Tells Azad, “Once I came home at two in the morning after having some fun. Those were the days when young blood feels certain pleasure for doing bad things. I thought the Sahib would not know about me coming in so late. But somehow he did. He called me in the next day and said in English, ‘You are developing a bad character.’ Then he said in a broken Urdu, ‘Well, we’ll have you married.’ So, when he went to Bombay from Delhi for a conference, I was married per his instructions. Although I am just a Shaikh, I am fortunate that only because of him I was married in a Sadat Family. The girl’s family accepted me because Azad was a servant of Qaid-e-Azam.”

I suddenly asked Azad a question, “Ever heard Qaid-e-Azam say I am sorry?”

Azad moved his fat neck in negation, “No. Never.” Then he smiled, “If by an accident he uttered the words “I am Sorry,” I’m certain he would’ve erased those words from the dictionary forever.”

I think this spontaneous response of Azad sums up the entire character of Qaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Mohammad Hanif Azad is alive, in this Pakistan given to him by his Qaid-e-Azam. And now, on the map of this world, this Pakistan is struggling to stay alive with the leadership of Jinnah’s best student, Khan Liaquat Ali Khan. In this free country, outside the doors of Punjab Art Pictures, near the paan store, Azad sits on a broken cot and waits for his Master. He also prays for a better time when he would get his salary in time. He is even ready to be a Hindu, as his Master once told him, provided he gets that chance back.

He was very worried when I talked to him about Qaid-e-Azam’s life. He did not have money even for a paan. When I started to make small talks to relieve him from his worries, he sighed and said, “Sahib has died. I wish I had gone on that journey with him. It would be his open white Packard. I would be at the wheel. I would drive the car very slowly to his final destination. His frail body could not tolerate jolts, you know. I’ve heard, Allah knows right or wrong, that when the airplane with him on landed in Karachi, the engine of the ambulance that took him to the Government House was not in good condition. It stopped after going only a short distance. My Sahib must have been so annoyed.”

Azad’s big eyes were full of tears.

#550 by Mantolives

I`ve done it point by point and your failure to recognise it just shows your inability to accept the facts.

And your weak-kneed response to my challenge to you to provide the exact post numbers with the relevant extracts shows only one thing: that you have no valid counter-points.

I also recognise- as I have done so repeatedly- that it is impossible to satisfy someone like you who has a completely skewed sense of reality but so far as was academically possible (and this excludes biased websites and testimonies of allegedly corrupt SPGC Chairmen that you quote - see post 538)... I think my posts stand crystal clear and have proved the point that I was making.

At least I`ve provided some evidence (OK, it is a corrupt SGPC Chairman ``according to`` Khushwant Singh, the new gospel of truth for Yasser Latif Hamdani but no one else), but what evidence have you provided? Zilch. Nada, so there. But coming to the original issue, just for the benefit of Chowkies, please make the following ``crystal clear``:

1. How does the fact that more Muslims than Hindus died in the DAD violence prove that Hindus started it?

2. What was Jinnah doing when violence raged for almost a week?

3. What did Jinnah do to restrain his Leaguers when they were making provocative statements?

About Salim... it is very interesting how you still believe that by somehow proving that Salim agrees with you (and now are you are accusing him of some sort of sophistry without spelling it out ?) you will win.

Bhai Yasser, you`re the only one who`s accused Salim of sophistry and you`ve done it on more than one occasion. I know it would look impossible for a fool like you, but is possible for a man to admire and detest a person at the same time. If I`ve gotten him right, I think Salim admires Jinnah for his personal traits and detests him for his politics. That`s exactly what I think. So you`re barking up the wrong tree pal.

Anyway to each his own- my arguments certainly don`t need anonymous clutches.

You do Yasser, which is why you quote Asiananda and M N Roy, both of whom are perhaps more well-known in Timbuktu and Lahore than in India.

... but it goes without saying that Pakistan - like any other nation state including Bharat or India - is a product and an accident of history.

Just because Yasser says it? Nice try, but better luck next time.

Dear Harish Hyd,

You are welcome to revisit the discussion and see for yourself that I have answered in point form every single one of your accusations/allegations etc. I`ve done it point by point and your failure to recognise it just shows your inability to accept the facts. I also recognise- as I have done so repeatedly- that it is impossible to satisfy someone like you who has a completely skewed sense of reality but so far as was academically possible (and this excludes biased websites and testimonies of allegedly corrupt SPGC Chairmen that you quote - see post 538)... I think my posts stand crystal clear and have proved the point that I was making. You are welcome to go in circles if you please.

About Salim... it is very interesting how you still believe that by somehow proving that Salim agrees with you (and now are you are accusing him of some sort of sophistry without spelling it out ?) you will win. While there is no question of you proving anything based on the views of an anonymous interactor... that particular interactor has been quite forthright in expressing his views (Read 534). Anyway to each his own- my arguments certainly don`t need anonymous clutches.

As for Godse started off as a fervent Gandhi admirer... you may read up on it. At best your comment about ambulance breaking down is speculation not a fact like Gandhi`s murder in broad day light. Now I come to this issue of Pakistan being a blunder and Jinnah conceding it... whether Jinnah said it or not (and I have never seen any evidence of this) ... but it goes without saying that Pakistan - like any other nation state including Bharat or India - is a product and an accident of history. There is no question of it being a collossal blunder or a great wonder... it is merely the logic of history which created many nation states over the last 500 years.

-YLH

Re the ambulance episode:

Saadat Hasan Manto also mentioned it in his sketch of Jinnah entitled ‘Mera Sahib’ based on his interview of Quaid’s driver of Bombay days named Haneef Azad. in which Azad says, “ Sahib was used to smooth driving. I wonder what would have he felt when his ambulance broke down on his way from the airport.. I wish I were there to drive Sahib on his last journey.”

This was a terribly sad episode.

Manto,

I heard Roedad Khan say in a discussion quoting Colonel Elahi Bux (Jinnah`s physician) that Liaquat Ali Khan and another prominent politician (I forget the name) had come to visit Jinnah at Ziarat shortly before his condition deteriorated, to get his decision on an important matter. After walking out the door, Liaquat Ali Khan had remarked to the other ``Budhey ko aqal aa gayee hai``.

Do you know of this episode? Any comments or light you can throw on this?