Mumbai, Aug 10: The 1936-built edifice `Jinnah House', which has been caught in a political whirlpool, would now be converted into an ocean of culture with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) deciding to set up a culture centre, complete with library and exhibition hall at the place.
The residence is expected to house an auditorium, a reading room, a gallery and perhaps a permanent exhibition on Jinnah, the man who constructed the house `brick by brick', according to ICCR sources.
The house, built by the famous British architect Claude Barley, boasts of an area of 1694 sq metres with a lush garden spread over 4,358 sq metres.
Located in one of the most enviable locality, the house on Bhausaheb Hiray Marg at Malabar Hill in south Mumbai, was painstakingly built, with Jinnah personally going through the decor. The marble tiles and walnut panels were personally inspected by Jinnah during the construction.
The residence of the leader of the Muslim league was the venue where Indian history was scripted minutely -- be it the demand for a separate Pakistan or the various meetings of Jinnah with Congress leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, who urged him to give up his obstinate stand over the issue.



With Jinnah having his own way and partition becoming a political reality, the Muslim league leader too had to part ways with his house he dearly cherished.


Bureau Report