Set in the tony neighbourhood of Malabar Hill in South Mumbai, Jinnah House, is on its way to becoming a venue for diplomatic soirees and possibly a museum showcasing South Asian culture.
The property, which is also known as South Court, was formerly owned by Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah and was the subject of many legal disputes for eight decades. It has now come under the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
The new ICCR chief Vinay Sahasrabuddhe says it will be renovated and used well. Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Sahasrabuddhe said, “The house is, strictly speaking, called South Court and not Jinnah House. It is now a property with the ICCR. It was lying unused for decades due to myriad court cases. But now there is absolutely no confusion and we will renovate the building and use it for different purposes including diplomatic events and exchanges, just like Hyderabad House in Delhi. Whatever it is, we are going to convey this veeran haveli (abandoned mansion) into a place of happenings in national interest.”
Mr. Sahasrabuddhe, along with Malabar Hill MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha, visited the sprawling two-and-a-half-acre mansion a couple of days ago to see whether a “South Asia Cultural Centre” could be set up there. Mr. Lodha, a well-known builder in Mumbai had earlier asked that the mansion be demolished due to its association with Jinnah. When The Hindu asked him whether he still had the same view, he said, “the associations with this house happened a long time ago, we must use it for a national purpose.” The house has witnessed many historic meetings related to India’s freedom and partition.
A bone of contention
Ownership was the bone of contention between India and Pakistan for years, with the latter demanding that its consulate be established there. The Indian government had designated the property as “evacuee” and Jinnah had willed it to his sister Fatima Jinnah who died in 1967.
Jinnah’s daughter, Dina Wadia, too had claimed it, insisting that it be referred to as “South Court” and not “Jinnah House”, but her petition is still pending in the Bombay High Court. Ms. Wadia died in November 2017.
Sheela Reddy, in her book, “Mr and Mrs Jinnah: The Marriage that Shook India” quotes a 2001 report in the London based Sunday Observer to describe the current dilapidated state of the property : “These days bats are the only inhabitants of the house.... In the garden where Lord Mountbatten once strolled, snakes preside over an untrimmed empire of rotting vegetation, ferns and towering palm trees. The elegant building was clearly in poor shape. Much of the walnut panelling had rotted.”
Published - February 27, 2018 10:16 pm IST
