Jinnah’s legacy lives on

It was Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who steered the Muslims of the Indian sub-continent during the most desperate times and enabled them to follow one cause and withstand heavy odds to achieve independence.

On the occasion of 144th birth anniversary of the Quaid.i.Azam, we embarked on a journey to honour one of the greatest men in the history and appreciate all the struggles he went through to give us an independent nation. We began the trip from the Quaid’s mausoleum, his final resting place.

Situated in the heart of the city, Quaid’s mausoleum is a prominent and grand landmark of Karachi, designed by architect Yahya Merchant and completed in 1970. The tomb is built with white marbles, and copper grills on the sides complete its grandeur look. It occupies an area of 53 hectares and dimensions of 75x75 m on ground and 43 m high, built on a 4 m high platform. However, the actual grave is a few meters below the marble tomb. The whole aura at the mausoleum is captivating, and at the sunset, it becomes surprisingly peaceful amidst the hustle and bustle of the busy city around the tomb.

People from various walks of life visit the mausoleum to honour and pay tribute to their beloved Qauid. “The best way to pay homage to the founding father of Pakistan is to teach our children the value of our motherland, and make sure they adhere to his vision and follow his guiding principles of Unity, Faith, and Discipline,” said Saqib Ahmed a 42-year-old, while telling his kids to recite Fatiha on Quaid’s grave.

“People of my age have no idea how difficult the freedom journey was as they never take a single moment to ponder over the struggles and complications Jinnah had been through to secure a separate and independent land where we could spend our lives according to our values and traditions,” said Kinza Ahmed, a student that came from Toba Tek Singh, district Faisalabad, to pay tribute to the Quaid.

“We often visit Quaid’s grave and teach our children about the man who motivated his people to work for the better future of their state,” said Zohaib Amir, a father of two teenagers. Amir further added, “Quaid-i-Azam envisioned a state where we could live and breathe as free men, where we could enjoy freedom without fear, where we could live according to our religious and cultural values, and this is the lesson I want my children to learn, I want them to understand the importance of equality and follow the principles of Jinnah so that they could create a just and prosperous life for themselves,” he said with a sense of pride.

A visit to the Quaid-i-Azam House Museum, located at Fatima Jinnah Rd, Karachi Cantonment, was a journey to explore another chapter of history. The building was not always a museum but it was a house owned by Mohammad Ali Jinnah. This simple yet elegant gizri stone building, spread over 10,241 sq yds with a spacious garden area, is one of Karachi’s most enchanting historical attractions.

The history of the Quaid-i-Azam House Museum is also very fascinating. According to the available records, the building came into Quaid’s ownership on August 14, 1943, upon purchasing it from the then Mayor of Karachi Sorab Kavasji Katrak, for Rs 115,000. Before that the house was owned by Ramachand Kachi Lahana till 1922. From 1940 onward it was rented by the British Indian Army and allotted to senior officers including General Sir Douglas, David Gracey who later became the Commander-in-chief of the Royal Pakistan Army and named the building the Flag Staff House. The Quaid’s personal belongings were shifted from 10 Aurangzeb Road, New Delhi, to this Museum in September 1947.

Comprising about seven rooms, visiting the Flag Staff House is like going back to the past in a time machine. Quaid-i-Azam’s bedroom has a single bed with two nightstands, his cigar box is placed on the centre table, and a Quran written in silver writing is placed on the showcase in one corner of the room with two law books. In the adjoining dressing room, Jinnah’s shoes are displayed - an instant reminder of the dapper man he was. The study room which also served as his office and where Jinnah would spend most of his day, had law books on display giving insight into Quaid’s interests. Miss Fatima Jinnah stayed in the house more than Quaid-i-Azam could. Her room is as simple as she was in her lifetime; a single bed placed in a room with three windows, the bedroom has just the essentials. The connected dressing room had empty perfume bottles and a folding shoji screen to change behind.

From the classic sofa sets that were placed in the living room to the lavish drawing room setting for the guests, gold-plated tea sets from the Chinese and Japanese governments gifted to the Quaid in 1948, the washbasins which was in Quaid’s daily use, to Jinnah’s bedroom, all his personal belongings, shoes, the three customised maps of the then Pakistan that only belonged to the Quaid, are carefully preserved in the museum.

“Since 1948, Karachi has changed a lot, but not much has changed in the Flagstaff House,” claimed Raza sb the finest guide at the museum while adding, “It has been kept the way Quaid-i-Azam had decorated it.”