A garden of greenery…After rain, the renovated gardens might well remind you of a cosy corner in New England. Banyan trees older and taller than House grace the front lawn where you can park yourself on log-hewn benches and watch squirrels as they scurry from fern to fern. Not many folks seem to visit the Museum leaving you with all the peace you need to sit back and wonder at the proportions of the flag which flies infront of the House.
Memories of Delhi…The House was to be where Mr Jinnah would live after retirement, and to make it seem like home, most of his belongings were brought there from Delhi. Not everything in the House dates to 1947, but many of the artefacts do: the aging carpets, sofas under the stairs, the ashtray marked’ MAJ’ and the mantles depicting the newly carved state of Pakistan (including East Pakistan).
The room…A single bed lies In the center of Mr Jinnah’s room which is on the second floor and across from his sister’s room. The natural light filtering in from the windows adds emphasis to the sparse interiors. But three details give the room all the character it needs: a Quran, his two-toned leather shoes with shoe trees to help keep them in shape and a picture of Ruttie, his estranged wife, which is placed on the night table next to his bed- it is the only picture of her in the House.
In a nutshell…Although Mr Jinnah never managed to spend his retirement in Flagstaff House, it is well worth a visit to be reacquainted with the man that made the birth of a nation his life’s purpose.
By Shayan Shakeel