Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence

by Jaswant Singh

The partition of India, 1947, some call it vivisection as Gandhi had, has without doubt been the most wounding trauma of the twentieth century. It has seared the psyche of four plus generations of this subcontinent. Why did this partition take place at all? Who was/is responsible - Jinnah? The Congress party? Or the British? Jaswant Singh attempts to find an answer, his answer, for there can perhaps not be a definitive answer, yet the author searches. Jinnah's political journey began as 'an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity' (Gopal Krishna Gokhale), yet ended with his becoming the 'sole spokesman' of Muslims in India; the creator of Pakistan, The Quaid-e-Azam: How and why did this transformation take place?

No Indian or Pakistani politician/Member of Parliament has ventured an analytical, political biography of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, about whom views necessarily get divided as being either Hagiographical or additional demonology. The book attempts an objective evaluation. Jaswant Singh's experience as a minister responsible for the conduct of India's foreign policy, managing the country's defence (concurrently), had been uniformly challenging (Lahore Peace process; betrayed at Kargil; Kandahar; the Agra Peace Summit; the attack on Jammu and Kashmir Assembly and the Indian Parliament; coercive diplomacy of 2002; the peace overtures reinitiated in April 2003).

He asks where and when did this questionable thesis of 'Muslims as a separate nation' first originate and lead the Indian sub-continent to? And where did it drag Pakistan to? Why then a Bangladesh? Also what now of Pakistan? Where is it headed? This book is special; it stands apart, for it is authored by a practitioner of policy, an innovator of policies in search of definitive answers. Those burning 'whys' of the last sixty-two years, which bedevil us still. Jaswant Singh believes that for the return of lasting peace in South Asia there is no alternative but to first understand what made it 'abandon' us in the first place. Until we do that, a minimum, a must, we will never be able to persuade peace to return.

Genres: History, India, Nonfiction, Politics, Biography, Pakistan, Banned Books

674 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

Jaswant Singh is an Indian politician. He belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party and has held many portfolios in the national cabinet including Finance, External Affairs and Defence during the NDA regime (1998 to 2004). He was also the Leader of Opposition from 2004 to 2009 in the Rajya Sabha and the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India(1998–99). Known for his moderate political views, he is a self-described liberal democrat even though the Bharatiya Janata Party is often described as a right-wing nationalist organization. Currently he represents Darjeeling parliamentary constituency in the 15th Lok Sabha.

Reviews

[Amit · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 ⭐

GENRE - NON-FICTION / POLITICS / HISTORY

PAGES - 669

3 of the world's major borders issues were created by the British.
1) The Israel - Palestine issue
2) The India - Pakistan - Bangladesh issue
3) The Tamils (LTTE) and Buddhist Issue in Ceylon todays day Sril Lanka.

The 3 parties to the Indian Independence and Partition were The Indian National Congress, The Muslim league and The British.

The book gives clarity over a lot of issues with regards to a lot of issues the Indian freedom struggle moment went through.

The British did divide india on the lines of religion in order to rule india smoothly especially after what happened in 1857 they very well knew that by Divide and Rule policy they will be able to extend their stay in India for a very long time.

The Indian National Congress made a lot of tactical errors for example adaptation of Non Violence was not going to help India get independence quickly. During the end days of the Raj with the adoption of Quit India Movement they made a tactical error because of which most of the leaders were thrown in Jail and because of which The Muslim League Supporting the British in World War 2 by cooperation with the British because of which they were spared the horror of going to jail and started aggressively campaigning for Muslim State Pakistan and asking the Muslims of India to support them.

The Muslim League had no other strong leader apart from Jinnah. The Direct Action Movement launched in 1946 wasn't a human way to demand a new country because of which many people died from both communities also this act left a blueprint of ethnic cleansing in the Muslim State of Pakistan. After which even after Independence many from the minorities were systematically killed or forcibly converted in East and West Pakistan and today's Bangladesh.

Gandhi did not deserve to be eliminated because he was the one who was pacifying the people of the riot inflicted areas and trying to stop the destruction nobody else from the congress bothered about the riots and the people involved in it while the Muslim League were the ones who started the Riots. Jinnah or Nehru were the ones who had to be eliminated because both were greedy for power. Post 1938 Gandhi had not much to say in the Congress although he was the one who opposed partition until the end !

The British decided to split India in just 60 days and the person ( CYRIL RADCLIFFE ) entrusted with the job of drawing the borders had never visited India ever before!

The Congress could have declined the borders and not accepted what the British proposed but Nehru and Patel were so much in a hurry for power that they agreed to anything and everything the British put in front of them.

Jinnah did not hate the Hindus but the Congress party and all he wanted was Power and so was Nehru had the Congress not accepted partition for just another year Jinnah would have been in his grave as he was suffering from TB and the Muslim League had no other leader to hold the mantle from Jinnah.

"NEHRU AND PATEL CONCEDED PAKISTAN TO JINNAH WITH THE BRITISH ACTING AS AN EVER HELPFUL MIDWIFE"

Jaswant Singh has written a well researched and detailed book on the subject however the language or prose it is written in is not that engaging which can make it boring however for people interested in the subject this is a very informative book.

Thank You 😊🙏💚

[Bharath · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this book was published, it created a massive controversy for Jaswant Singh, when the BJP leadership immediately sidelined him for writing a book assumed to glorify Jinnah. Quite possibly this decision was before anyone bothered to read the book. The title of the book I suppose conveyed the impression it did. This book is well worth a read since it is largely objective, though it is also boring in parts and could have been much crisper and a lot more readable.

The book is actually quite balanced about Jinnah – certainly very sympathetic to him till about the late 1930s, but is critical of his ‘Muslims as a separate nation’ theory, vanity and inflexibility after that leading to the partition of India. The book is however, very critical of Nehru and the Congress (especially in the 1920s and 1930s and even after), and how it pushed Jinnah from being a votary of Hindu – Muslim unity to demand a separate homeland for Muslims, and emerge as the Quaid-e-Azam of Pakistan.

The book starts with exploring the entry of Islam into India and this part is largely academic with no new information. It then moves on to Jinnah, his early life, contrasting his approach with Mahatma Gandhi. While Jinnah was a constitutionalist, believing in being entirely legally correct in conduct, Gandhi took to non co-operation to protest unjust laws as well fight for freedom for the country. A major theme of the book is how the Congress made no attempts to be inclusive and brushed aside the Muslim league as a non-entity in the 1920s and 1930s. A hurt Jinnah gradually consolidated Muslim support and emerged as the primary spokesperson. There were windows of opportunities till quite late to reach a rapprochement between the Congress and the League, but only Mahatma Gandhi made a sincere attempt to do that almost right till the day of independence. Within the Congress too there were diverse opinions from people such as C Rajagopachari, Ram Manohar Lohia, Jayaprakash Narayan and Abul Kalam Azad.

His mistrust of the Congress, and the consolidation of Muslim support also leads Jinnah to become more inflexible and demanding in the later years (late 1930s and 1940s). For instance, he insisted on equal numerical representation for the League in the provincial government planned and also demanded that the Congress should not nominate any Muslim, as he was the primary spokesperson for Muslims in India. Right till the end, Jinnah leaves the definition of Pakistan open. The portions where Mahatma Gandhi questions him about what will happen to minorities in the new nation of Pakistan, leads Jinnah to claim that they will be taken care of. Beyond a point, it looks like Jinnah improvised his positioning based on circumstances. The part where he calls for a ‘Direct Action Day’ encouraging violence and communal rioting to prove his point is especially disturbing and so much out of character based on his earlier conduct and views. And yet, he seemed to return to a more broad minded approach once he got his Pakistan – assuring minorities of equal rights.

As Jaswant Singh points out, many disturbing aspects of the two nation theory and the event of partition remain with us today. Jinnah died too soon after the formation of Pakistan, leading to a nation devoid of a soul (which it was only just forming) where minorities face an uncertain future in the face of rising religious extremism. Just maybe, if he had lived longer, as also Mahatma Gandhi, our region could have been a different place.

My rating: 3.5 / 5.

[Rishika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jaswant Singh, finally, shows there were several players more culpable - the British, the Congress Party leaders such as M.K Gandhi and fundamentalist Muslim and Hindu leaders. He gives us a brilliant account of the machinations and mistakes that happened behind the scenes as well as revealing a fascinating collection of correspondence between Nehru, Gandhi, Jinnah and all the various Viceroys of India.

Singh does a fantastic job of personifying Jinnah - who to this day remains something of an enigma to most people. Worth a read.

[Shotabdi · Rating 4 out of 5]

৩.৫/৫
ভালো, তবে আরো জানার প্রয়োজনীয়তা রয়েছে। এমন স্পর্শকাতর বিষয়ে একটা বই পড়েই সমস্ত সিদ্ধান্ত নিয়ে নেয়া যায় না আসলে।

[Siby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the most honest book covering the period of the Indian independence struggle that I have read so far. Jaswant Singh has done justice to himself and to his readers by writing this book from an unbiased perspective of a historian and not as the spokesperson of a political organization, largely perceived to be communal.
Jaswant Singh has tried to bring to the forefront the hidden mechanics and negotiations that went on behind the partitioning of India and the reasons that pushed Jinnah from being an exponent of Hindu-Muslim unity to the leading figure in the demand for a separate Muslim Pakistan. History books usually paint one or the other as the villain, depending on whose version of events you are reading, but it is often not so black and white in reality. After reading this book, I can see why Jaswant Singh had to face such a barrage of criticism, even expulsion from his party. He has tried to be honest in trying to find the reason that precipitated one of the greatest tragedies in Indian history and certainly the most defining event in the Indian sub-continent in the last century. Indian authors vilify Jinnah; John Keay just reports the event and has no opinion; Dominique Lappierre eulogies Mountbatten; but I think Jaswant Singh has hit it on the nail when he tries to analyze the events that occured, and correctly indentifies the reasons behind Partition and the role played by each of the parties; Congress for pushing Jinnah away and pinning him in a corner from where Pakistan was the only option, Jinnah for demanding Pakistan as a negotiating tactic to gain more representation and voice in an Indian government and then not knowing what to do once his wish came true and finally on the British for widening the rift between the two communities for their own narrow gains and the haphazard manner in which it was finally executed.
What I also liked about this book was the collection of correspondence between all the main players; Nehru, Gandhi, Jinnah, the various Viceroys of India and the personal memoirs and notes of these individuals. This book also brings to light the oft forgotten political face and shrewd mind of Gandhi. Loved it!

[Shadin Pranto · Rating 3 out of 5]

"জিন্নাঃভারত,দেশভাগ, স্বাধীনতা" নিঃসন্দেহে দেশভাগের পুরো অধ্যায়টি নিয়ে "ভালো" কাজ। খুব খেটেেই নিজের সামর্থ্য প্রমাণ করেছেন লেখক যশোবন্ত সিং।

কিন্তু তারপরেও কিছু জায়গা ছিলো যেখানে সিং সাবের কলম স্পর্শ করেনি কিংবা প্রশ্নের যৌক্তিক উত্তর না দিয়ে "অতি" সূক্ষ্মভাবে নিজে একটি পক্ষ নিয়েছেন।যেমনঃ

#জিন্নাকে দেশভাগের কলঙ্কজনক অধ্যায়ের জন্য দায়ী মানা হয়। কিন্তু যে লোকটি নিজে কট্টর কংগ্রেসী ছিলেন। যাকে সবাই হিন্দু মুসলিম ঐক্যের দূত মানতেন।সেই জিন্নাই কেন ১৯২৯ সালের পর কংগ্রেস থেকে নিজেকে গুটিয়ে নিতে বাধ্য হন? যশোবন্ত সিং গবেষণা করা জানান,তিনি কংগ্রেসে গাঁন্ধির(দুঃখিত, কলিকাতার বানানে এই মহান ব্যক্তিকে কোনো পশু বানাতে মন সায় দিচ্ছে না) জনপ্রিয়তার কারণে একঘরে হয়ে যান তাই কংগ্রেস ত্যাগ করতে বাধ্য হন। কোনঠাসা হয়ে দলত্যাগ করলেন বুঝলাম। কিন্তু কী বিশেষ কারণে একজন কট্টর জাতীয়তাবাদী ও হিন্দু-মুসলিমের "ঐক্যদূত" হঠাৎ ঘোরতর কংগ্রেস বিরোধী হয়ে আলাদা ধর্মভিত্তিক রাষ্ট্র চাইলেন তার খুববেশি সুলুক সন্ধান না করেই সিং সাব একটা পক্ষ নেন। অথচ, হালকা চালে পড়লে বিষয়টি ধরা যায় না।

#কংগ্রেসকে প্রথম থেকেই "বিরাট" কিছু একটা বলে প্রমাণে ব্যস্ত ছিলেন। কিন্তু কংগ্রেসের প্রথম দিককার ইতিহাসে আলো ফেলেন নি সিং সাব। কংগ্রেসের সাথে হিন্দু মহাসভার সম্পর্কে তিনি নীরব অপরদিকে, কট্টরপন্থী মুসলিম লীগ নিয়ে সর্বদা সরব ছিলেন।এ কেমন বিচার?


#কংগ্রেস নিজেদের সবার প্রতিনিধি দাবী করলেও '৪৬ এর নির্বাচন উল্টো রায় দেয়।কেন কংগ্রেস মুসলমানদের মন জয়ে শেষকালে ব্যর্থ হয় তার কারণও বেশি ঘাঁটাতে চান নি লেখক।



#জিন্নার "মথ ইটেন" পাকিস্তান তত্ত্ব ব্যর্থ প্রমাণিত হয়েছে স্বাধীন বাংলাদেশের জন্মের সাথে সাথেই। আবার,"ধর্মনিরপেক্ষ "ভারতেও ভালো নেই মুসলমানরা। বাংলাদেশে স্বাধীনতার এতো বছর পরেও কাঙ্খিত সাফল্য পায়নি জনগণ। পাকিস্তান তো স্বৈরশাসন, জঙ্গিবাদ নানা বিপদে নিজেই মূর্তিমান আপদ।

বইয়ের শেষটায় একটা মোটাদাগে বিশ্লেষণ করতে গিয়ে লেখক বলেছিলেন,

"ভারতভাগের পর শান্তি নির্বাসিত হয়েছে।"
এ লাইটিই ছিলো দেশভাগের সারমর্ম বোঝাতে সবচেয়ে দুঃখজনক অথচ বাস্তবসত্য কথা।

একজন লেখকের নিরপেক্ষ থাকা প্রায় অসম্ভব। পক্ষ যদি নিতেই হয় তবে যে পক্ষে লোক বেশি তাদের দলে যাওয়াই ভালো -যশোবন্ত সিংয়ের বুদ্ধিদীপ্ততার জন্য রইল ধন্যবাদ!

[Mansoor Azam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming from Jaswant Singh, an old hand in Indian politics this one is a treat for anyone who wants to know about Jinnah. I had definite doubts about this one and thought an Indian can't do justice to the great man.

But as i started i was in for the ultimate treat considering the few and far efforts in recent times by men in power corridors. the book and its theme just got me more and more into it. In a way i'll admit that i got a whole new picture of Jinnah in Indian politics, "his role as an Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity". Before this the idea was that although initially he tried to reconcile the two communities but once onto the idea of partition the man put heart and soul into it and shunned every effort of Congress to avoid Congress. But indeed once you go through the pages of this book you realize that the only man who till last time had some thought of preserving a united India was Jinnah.

An absolute treat for the students of Indo-Pak history. A brave effort from Shri Jaswant Singh. A must read for anyone interested in Indo Pak history

[Rohan Sangodkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished this book!

This is quintessential study material. I would start with the very title of this book, Jinnah, this is a partly misleading title since it makes you believe it is a biography of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, which this is not, barring few pages initially about his birth, upbringing, and education. This book should have been named Jinnah and Gandhi since the author talks about both the stalwarts at equal length and in equal detail.

This book caused quite a stir when it came out since Jaswant Singh was a senior BJP leader and his blunt commentary on Gandhi and Nehru caused some discomfort in Lutyen coterie.

If I am to talk about Jinnah based on this book then his life can be divided into exactly two parts like a movie with an interval. Jinnah pre-1930's (before the famous string of round table conferences) and Jinnah post-1930's. It is amusing to delve into his pre-1930's personality where he was portrayed as a pro-Hindu and anti-Muslim in Muslim league corridors. Gopal Krishna Gokhale famously said that "Jinnah is an ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity". Jinnah was a staunch supporter of unity among all the faiths of Hindustan and believed in total freedom. So what caused the paradigm shift which led one of the most bizarre partitions? Jaswant Singh goes to the bottom of this question. But as we all know, this is a very complex question and no definite answer could be given. All we can do is surmise.

It is interesting to read how Congress was perceived as a saffron party who favors Hindus as opposed to the current political scenario. The seed of an Islamic nation was sowed in Jinnah's mind solely due to the ignorance he received from Congress. He was a learned person and that made him a little egoistic. Ignorance hurt him deeply. This sorrow then sought a refugee of Islamic thought and politics. There were a lot of fair points stated by Jinnah on why Pakistan should come into the existence but none of these were such that could not be resolved.

It scared me to read about the political atmosphere of the late 30s and early 40s. It was Gandhi Vs Jinnah. Two figures decided the future of the greatest civilization ever existed. No matter how great, a nation should not be subject to a single person and his mood.

Another figure which played a decisive role was Jawaharlal Nehru. He had his patches of uncertainty and pseudo-western influence.

All these points are discussed in the great detail in this book along with the relevant materials, footnotes, and appendices. The most interesting part of this book is the last chapter which discusses Pakistan as a country.

Turkey or Egypt, if they stop being aggressively Muslim, they will remain exactly what they are-Turkey and Egypt. But if Pakistan does not become and remain aggressively Islamic it will become India again.

Read this book if you want to understand the real History of pre-partition India. This book will give you a lot better insight. It is very interesting to travel along with Jinnah and to know how a blasphemous person ended up inspiring a whole Islamic nation.

I don't want to die a failure, But I may be a failure. - Mahatma Gandhi

P.S. : During my prolonged reading period of this book author Jaswant Singh, a well-known figure in Indian politics, passed away on the 27th of September, 2020. May his soul rest in peace.

[Rahul Khanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was reading a book by Bipin Chandra, India's struggle for freedom. In that book whenever the name of Jinnah came I felt a tickling going in my body which prodded me to read this book which was resting in my bookshelf for last five months. I picked this book before finishing the book in my hand. First few pages was very interesting but after that it became boring to ad nauseam. I am not scholar to understand this so called scholarly researched and detailed book but I unravel the basic information which author wanted to convey out of this massive drivel of 650 pages. Believe me, if you are not scholar,this is a boring book and writing style has power to put you to sleep after reading 10 pages.

Here is the summary of this book. Author writes about history of Muslims and India in brief and about birth and childhood of Jinnah in few pages. Then he write about political life of Jinnah. It is a political biography. Author quotes many letters and reports which are very boring and lengthy. The real gist of this book is that partition can be avoided if Nehru and congress had agreed on federal form of govt rather than unitary form of govt with strong centre. Nehru strongly advocated the theory of strong centre so he particularly blaming Nehru for partition.

One thing I learned from this book is that only scholarship or detailed knowledge can never make a good book if writing style is bland. Jaswant Singh is not a good story teller. I read books of Will Durant and I kowtow in front of this giant and greatest author who write about most complicated things (a thousand times more complicated than partition) in such good prose that you feel connected with the book but this mastery lacks in not only Jaswant Singh but also in many other amateur writers.

[Atif · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this books took me down the memory lane, when I was a student in college and had a pretty heavy subject of Pakistan Studies. Pretty much everything I have studied on indo-pak partition is present in this book. What I found intresting is the detail Jaswant went on explaining the relationship between the trio - Jinnah Gandhi and Nehru. The book in the middle becomes a bit too detail and complex I guess the author wanted to capture every bit of event that happend in the last 5 years before partition. However, Jaswant has summed up well in the end though I dont agree with a few things what he has put in .. but still a three star from a patrotic Pakistani.

[Sameer · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best writeups on the whole partition and Jinnah. Of course there is lot to the misery and mystery that will probably remain..

Jaswant Singh hs put an honest effort in this.

[Shoaib · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jaswant Singh’s Jinnah India- Partition Independence is an attempt to analyze the events leading to the partition of India but the author probes into the proposition of “Muslims as a separate nation” and questions the rationality for the creation of Pakistan. His thesis further expands to the role of All India National Congress in the partition of the country, the theme that coincides with the views of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) that Congress were to blame for the partition.

The author re-evaluates the role of Jinnah in partition and that how this ‘ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity’, the liberal constitutionalist and the Indian Nationalist worked to vivisect Hindustan. The author does not portray Jinnah as a Hero or Villain, rather through a detailed analysis of all political events from the first world war to the Lucknow Pact, Nehru Report, Ghandhi's Satyagraha, Swaraj Movement, the Simon Commission, Round Table Conferences, the 1936-37 General Election, Quit India Movement, Cripps Mission, 1945-46 General Election, and finally the cabinet mission to India – that got squashed following Nehru’s emotional speech that diminished the chances to keep India united.

Contrary to the common belief, author claims that Jinnah was not a separatist, but he sought protection from the majoritarianism which was denied to him by the Congress leadership. The author concludes that Jinnah alone was not responsible for the partition, both Congress and British were as much responsible.

This is along and detailed book which offers a different prospective to understand the partition of India. The author, despite being a strong BJP nationalist, does not follow party line and exhibits intellectual freedom while making analysis of the partition in retrospect and for that he deserves applause for being intellectually honest and attempted to present the history in calm and non-partisan manners.

I finish my review with this famous quote by Oscar Wilde: the only history we owe to the history is to rewrite it.

[Mahmudur Rahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

যশোবন্ত সিংহ নামটা দেখেই একটা খুঁতখুঁতানি ছিল। মনে হয়েছিল, নিশ্চয়ই গান্ধী-নেহরু বন্দনা আর জিন্নার সমালোচনা ভরা এক বই হবে। এই কারণে কিংবা অন্য অনেক কারণে বইটা পড়তে এতো দেরী। পাশাপাশি আরেকটা কারণ ছিল নিরবিচ্ছিন্ন অবসর। এই ধরণের বই পড়তে গেলে মাথা ফাঁকা রাখা জরুরী। সে রকম অবসর দেখেই শুরু করেছিলাম কিন্তু শুরু করার পর আর অবসর ছিল না। বোধহয় পনেরো দিনের বেশি সময় লাগল শেষ করতে।

বইয়ের নাম থেকেই বোঝা যায় জিন্নাকে দেখা হচ্ছে ভারতের নিরিখে, দেশভাগের পটভূমিতে। তাই যশোবন্ত বইটা শুরু করেছেন কাথিয়াওয়ার থেকে এবং জিন্নার মুসলিম পূর্বপুরুষ হয়ে তিনি আইনজীবী জিন্নাকে ছুঁয়ে ভারত স্বাধীনতার পটভূমিতে আসেন। তারপর দেশভাগ সম্পর্কিত পূর্বসূত্র, রাজনৈতিক বিশ্লেষণ ইত্যাদি। সেক্ষেত্রে তিনি কোন দলীয় মতাদর্শের দিকে সরাসরি না ঝুঁকে তৎকালীন অবস্থার প্রেক্ষিতেই বিশ্লেষণ করেছেন। জিন্নাকে কাছ থেকে দেখার চেষ্টা করেছেন।

কিন্তু ব্যক্তি জিন্নাকে কাছ থেকে দেখা সম্ভব হয়নি। সেটা সম্ভবত জিন্নার অ���্তর্মুখী ব্যক্তিত্বেরই কারণ। কিন্তু জিনাভাই/ঝিনাভাইয়ের ব্যরিস্টার মহম্মদ আলী জিন্না হয়ে ওঠা, কংগ্রেসের রাজনীতিতে গান্ধী-পূর্ব সময়ে তাঁর গুরুত্ব ও জনপ্রিয়তার কথা বারবার উল্লেখ করলেও তার স্বরুপ তুলে ধরা হয়নি। লেখক খুব কম ক্ষেত্রেই জিন্নাকে এককভাবে দেখেছেন, বরং তাকে বারবার গান্ধীর পাশে রেখে তুলনা করেছেন, নেহরুর উচ্চাভিলাসের আলোচনা করেছেন। একটা পর্যায়ে বইটি তাই হয়ে উঠেছে দেশভাগ-পূর্ব রাজনৈতিক বিশ্লেষণ।

দেশভাগের পূর্বের ভারতের রাজনৈতিক নেতৃবৃন্দের সিদ্ধান্ত, অবস্থান থেকে শুরু করে ভারতের কেন্দ্রীয় রাজনীতির ��রকষাকষির চিত্রটা যাদের জানা, সে সম্বন্ধে পড়াশোনা করেছেন, তাদের ভালো লাগবে। জিন্নাকে নয় বরং জিন্নার রাজনৈতিক দর্শন সম্পর্কে বিশ্লেষণে আগ্রহী হলে এই বই তুষ্ট করবে।

[Siddharth Sharma]

Its a good book,certainly not in the 'great' category,but good and to the point.

As far as I know Jinnah was as not a religious man in personal life. He ate pork, drank wine and it is widely believed that his counterpart Mahatma Gandhi knew more verses of Qoran than him.

Thus, his kind of Islamic fundamentalism was just a tool to embarrass the Congress with Gandhi and Nehru in Particular by carving a seperate nation called Pakistan.

Jinnah, though flawed in some important issues, should always be remembered as the one who created history and edited the World map.

Both tremendous achievements!

[Penandinkpot Uzma · Rating 4 out of 5]

After interviewing my grandmother,her brother, uncles, various other relatives and friends and getting various perspectives and as an individual who has little knowledge except what relatives who went through this partition--as I am the grandchild and child of partition grandparents and parents-- although raised in Canada and the USA, this book is a great overview of a history and a perspective by the author who was in the ministry during this period.

[Babur Khan (The Pukhtoon Bibliophile) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of this book suggests it is Jinnah's biography but it goes well beyond that, barely touches upon his personal life and focuses on the political climate of inter-war India and the partition instead.

The book starts with the advent of Islam in India, and discusses the war of Independence in 1857 and the insecurities of the Muslims of India after the fall of the Mughal empire. It then details how Jinnah joined Indian politics and his unwavering support for Hindu-Muslim unity. Then we're slowly walked through the turbulent 20s, the decisive and unfortunate events of 1937, and eventually the partition of the Indian subcontinent.

Nehru is clearly the villain of this book, creating roadblocks with his westernized ideas, arrogance, and ignorance during the 30s. Gandhi was mostly ignorant, idealistic and powerless, but his intentions were noble when dealing with Jinnah. Unfortunately Nehru and Patel sidelined and ignored him.

Singh is very sympathetic towards Jinnah, even going as far as calling him "the great patriotic Indian", which explains the controversy surrounding this book. Jinnah was one of the handful of leaders in India who truly worked towards uniting Hindus and Muslims but was let down by Congress, forcing a change in his political ideology and transforming him into the "Quaid e Azam".

At the end, Singh asks a very important question: If the partition was to be rushed so Nehru and Mountbatten could exercise more power, if regions were to be divided while ignoring cultural, religious and geographical intricacies, if the partition was to result in more complex and long lasting problems, then why was India divided at all?

[Sumit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, It was quite insightful in some places about the tension between three main stakeholders (Brits, Muslim league, INC) while in some of the places, specially in areas of constitutional details and different points of legal concerns it got really heavy. I was asking many times why we need all those details, but that pain was necessary later when same issues became reason behind further issues.

Overall book is quite good specially it gives a quite detailed account of leading personality of the time (Jinnah) and my little understanding seems to state that less ego on many people's part could have gone a long way in resolving issues in different way.

[Anil Swarup · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is more about India's partition than about Jinnah. However, as the chief architect of this vivisection he deserved to be the chief protagonist. Hence, perhaps the title of the book. The book is very well researched and the analyses quite objective. The focus is on the later years of Jinnah and the period when the the clamour for partition came to the fore. The author examines "How and why this 'ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity', the liberal constitutionalist, an Indian nationalist" went on to become the most fervent advocate of "two-nation" theory that led to the partition. The author describes Jinnah as "largely a self educated, a self made man, anxious as a youth that his merit should gain recognition and be duly rewarded". While comparing Jinnah with Gandhi, the author quotes Hector Bolitho :"Jinnah was a source of power. Gandhi....an instrument of it" How true. "Jinnah was potentially kind, but in behaviour extremely cold and distant. Gandhi embodies compassion. Jinnah did not wish to touch the poor, but then Gandhi's instincts were rooted in India and lifelong he soiled his hands in helping squalid poor"
Jaswant Singh comes up with some seminal conclusions as he presents his viesws against communal reservation communal reservation: "Reservation results finally in compartmentalising society, hence ultimately in fragmenting national identity". How true it is for all types of reservations.
The author is also extremely critical about how Mountbatten went about doing his job, in haste.
All in all an eminently readable, though long, book.

[Jrohde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished this tome after 18 months of picking it up and putting it down. In the end very interesting, even if poorly written with poor grammar and story line jumping about and references to things and events totally unknown. Nonetheless, he deals with the partition of India with insight and shows convincingly that it was not Jinnah's intransigence (until the very end) that brought about Pakistan - it was every bit as much the insensitivity of Nehru and Patel and their unwillingness to recognise the necessity for some compromise to accomodate the Muslim minority. How much better it would have been had the offer of the Cripps commission in 1946 to establish a united India as a Federation, reserving the right for states to get out after some time if their population so voted, than the vivisection along religious lines that so fractured the nation and let to eternal strife between the countries. over all - I am glad I persisted and read it all, appendices included.

[Nbcindia]

http://www.nbcindia.com/Descriptions....


http://www.nbcindia.com/Descriptions....

Jaswant Singh has come a long way from his home in the desert districts of Rajasthan. Commissioned in the Indian Army when barely nineteen, he went through two wars whilst in service (1962 and 1965) before resigning his commission to pursue a political career. He has served seven terms in Parliament, and, in the BJP-led governments of 1996 and 1998-2004, held charge of six ministries of the Government of India, including External Affairs, Defence and Finance. Regarded as an authority on Indian foreign policy and national security, Jaswant Singh is among the most respected names in the country's public life, and in the world of diplomacy.

[Rajiv Chopra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely good book. It starts with an excellent question - why were the invasions of the Turks, Afghans etc called Muslim invasions and not territorial invasions. This is clearly indicative of the bias that has pervaded much of Indian history through the last decades.

Jaswant Singh proceeds in a gentle manner, clearly unfolding the events of the times. He clearly explains how Jinnah moved from being a champion of Hindu-Muslim unity and nationhood to a champion of Pakistan. The roles that the great Indian politicians played in causing the division of India into India and Pakistan has been clearly explained. It is a sorry tale, where the actions of a few men caused such divisions and large scale displacement.
The book is meticulously researched, balanced and well written.
This is an honest book, and one that deserves the highest praise.

[Bulbul · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is such a tedious book. There is a whole chapter on Islam's evolution and I don't understand why. Does Gandhi's biography start with a chapter on Hinduism? In the next chapter, it moves from Jinnah's birth to his disputes in Congress and with Tilak. Within a few pages. I can't read further.

[Anandh]

Seem to be very controversial, have to see what the author says.

[Venu.mittal]

pretty heavy one.

[Zainab]

so far it is extremely well-written and showcasing Jinnah as an extremely hard working and noble man

[Aziz Khan]

still reading it. it seems obvious to me that this would turn out to be the third authentic book on life of Jinnah.

[Praveen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to read

[Anirudh Naveen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Partition is inarguably the most significant event of South Asia in the 20th century, and all of us often grapple with this massive question: Why was India, a cultural melting-pot for millennia, ever partitioned? This question has revived on multiple occasions, particularly when tensions between India and Pakistan escalate (very often nowadays). Jaswant Singh's political career in itself is fascinating, but this is a monumental effort at chronicling the events preceding the Partition.

As a reader, I found this less of a 'biography' and more of a 'history book'. Although Jinnah's life is the fulcrum of this book, the overarching theme of India's independence and the perpetual animosities between the two communities takes precedence right throughout. The first few pages are devoted to the origins and evolution of Islam as a creed in India. This makes for interesting reading, particularly the author's accurate claim that Islam is 'theocentric' and not 'theocratic'. A portrait of Jinnah follows, emphasizing on how he ardently advocated the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity. The book chronicles his transformation from a peace-loving secular lawyer to 'Qaid-e-Azam'.
Although it cannot be said that the book is devoid of bias, (there are instances where the author pitches in with gripes on Nehru, that are largely appropriate, but seem to overly exaggerated, particularly considering that Mahatma Gandhi is exonerated of all charges), facts and statements have been reproduced in their entirety. The author's painstaking efforts at collating as much information as possible reflects through the book, and one has to salute his tireless efforts.

One area where the book falls short is the way the narrative jumps from one event to another. A biography usually has a linear narrative, to help the reader make sense of the events and get a well-rounded picture of those times. However, there are a lot of places where references to events three decades later are made at length, that hindered the flow to a great extent.

Although this book might (and indeed has) lead to an outrage, as it does not resonate with the monochromatic narrative expedited by a lot of left-liberal politicians, it must be read to understand the machinations leading up to this event that transformed our society forever.
Interestingly, the research question, 'Why was India partitioned?' appears at the end as well, signifying that the author does not claim that this book is an end in itself. Although it does a fantastic job providing all the necessary details of important events, their remain lot of grey areas that certainly carry potential for further research.

All-in-all, an enjoyable experience reading it.

[Satya Chari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jinnah...from a forceful ambassador of “Hindu Muslim Unity” to”Quaid A Azam” - Vivisection of India....

Recall of and reflection on history; that too a subject like “Partition of India” will always be a complex and risky endeavour for anyone brave enough to attempt, Jaswant Singh is no exception

But, his privileged ringside view, accompanying intellect, genuine empathy for the people and subject concerned and accompanying magisterial narration makes this a worthy read

How pursuit of independence from British rule ended up in 2 independent nations being carved out of one; a brutal and bloody chapter in the creation of Pakistan and independent India; effects of which continue to daunt and challenge peace in the subcontinent to this day

If one honestly examines India’s present state of affairs under the weight of Majoritarianism | descecration of the constitution | confiscated law and order / judiciary and government agencies resulting in parliamentary sanctioned discrimination of minorities and suppression of freedom; Jinnah’s then fears were not entirely clueless | unwise or unfounded or is it?

General Zia-ul-Haq when asked, as to why ‘Pakistan cultivated and maintained this policy of so much induced hostility towards India?’, he replied that, ‘Turkey or Egypt, if they stop being aggressively Muslim, they will remain exactly what they are – Turkey and Egypt. But if Pakistan does not become and remain aggressively Islamic, it will become India again. Amity with India will mean getting swamped by this all enveloping embrace of India.’ This worry has haunted the psyche of all the leaders of Pakistan since 1947.

Gandhi till the last had continued to plead for ‘independence’ first, ‘Pakistan’ after that. Jinnah would not agree, but then sadly, neither did Nehru, nor Patel go along with the Mahatma.

For, along with several other there is one central diffculty that India, Pakistan, Bangladesh face: our ‘past’ has, in reality never gone into the ‘past’, it continues to reinvent itself, constantly becoming our ‘present’, thus preventing us from escaping the imprisonment of memories. To this we have to find an answer, who else can or will?

I have been Satya Chari

[Soham Mohanty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this book while digging through my grandfather's study. Published by Rupa Publications.
This book "Jinnah: India-Partition Independence" by Honourable Jaswant Singh Ji provides an avid description of the partition of British India into two independent nations- The Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He has explained the consequences of partition in a tripartite manner, from the perspective of the Hindus, the Muslims and the Sikhs. The bloodbath, civil war, religious intolerance and mass attacks are seen to be the major outcome of the partition, but Jaswant Singh Ji has focused on the other aspects which have never attained limelight, the political, economic and cultural ones. He has done an amazing work in rewriting the history of an Era of darkness, comprised of two socio-politically, geopolitically and economically different time periods. The sudden transformation of the political arena of India which had made India's roots tremble, but grow stronger day-by-day, has been accurately portrayed by Jaswant Singh Ji. His work has remained a source of inspiration and further research and writing on the partition of Bharat's heart into two absolutely different yet historically same entities which indulge in a fraternal feud till date, but the hopes of reconciliation in optimists hasn't been lost.