Jinnah's Confident & Trusted

Syed Shah Abdul Hye

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Syed Shah Abdul Hye was Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s confident and trusted employee before the partition of India. He served Jinnah as a chauffeur, receptionist, telephone operator and general factotum. He was born on 13^th March 1913 in Kaup near Udupi in India.

 

Kaup

Abdul Hye's father Syed Gouse Peeran was a Moulvi and hoped that Syed Shah Abdul Hye also become a Moulvi. But Abdul Hye had an ambition to become an Engineer. After passing class seven, he ran away to Mumbai (known as Bombay at that time). He boarded the Mumbai bound ship from Malpe, a harbour near Udupi.

Malpe

Mumbai

At Mumbai to earn his livelihood he started washing cars in a garage near Crowford Market. He stayed in an orphanage and in 1927 managed to join the Marine School at Nhava Island. Abdul Hye for the first time met Jinnah at Marine School’s annual day function. Jinnah pinned three medals on his lapel at this ceremony – one for good conduct, the other for Marine Monitor and the third for winning a three-mile swimming race in the sea.

After passing out of the Marine School, Abdul Hye started doing some odd jobs. He also learnt driving and worked as substitute driver. At some point of time he came to know that Jinnah was looking out for a chauffeur. When Abdul Hye went for an interview to Jinnah’s house Jinnah was away on some work. So Jinnah’s sister Fatima Jinnah interviewed him and offered him a salary of Rs 35 per month. But Abdul Hye refused this offer as he knew Jinnah was paying Rs 80 for his earlier driver. He turned back forgetting and leaving all the certificates and the medals on Jinnah’s table. Jinnah, who later looked closely at all of them, found his own signature on one document presented to Abdul Hye on his School’s annual day. Jinnah immediately sent for Abdul Hye and appointed him the chauffeur with a salary of Rs 80 per month. 

Jinna's house at Mumbai

Hye was also entrusted with the job of looking after paper clippings and delivering Jinnah’s letters to the newspaper office “Khilafat”. Pleased with his work, Jinnah increased Abdul Hye’s salary to Rs 100. Abdul Hye became Jinnah’s confident and trusted employee. Jinna had sent Abdul Hye to a night school in Malbar Hills to learn English. Only Jinnah’s personal assistant Mubeenul Islam of Meerut and Abdul Hye were allowed to speak to Jinnah directly. The rest including the twenty household staff and others had to go through Fatima or daughter Dina. 

Jinnah at Mumbai

While serving Jinnah, Abdul Hye had the opportunity to see Mahatma Gandhi four times and even shake his hand once. 

After serving Jinnah, Abdul Hye worked in Bahrain, Sharjah, Abu Dabhi, Muscot, Doha and few other places, and he used to exchange letters with Jinnah. He retired and came back to Udupi, where he had spent his childhood, and settled down in Kunjibettu in Udupi.

Udupi

 When he was asked in an interview, when he was 90, about that time's Pakistan, he had no illusions. ‘‘Pakistan is not the same nation created by Quaid-e-Azam Jinnah... The military is ruling, it is in chaos,’’ he said. But the Delhi-Lahore bus started with the initiative of Atal Bihari Vajpayee sparks hope. "फिर से कोशिस  हो  रहा  है।  इन्श  अल्लह , सब  कुछ  ठीक  हो  जायेगा।" ‘‘Phir se koshish ho raha hai. Insha Allah, sab kuch teek ho jayega,’’ he added.

Watching in TV hale and hearty Noor Fatima, a child patient from Pakistan who underwent successful heart surgery at the Narayana Hrdayalaya Hospital in Bangalore, India, 90-year-old Abdul Hye, heaved a sigh of relief.

For Abdul Hye is convinced that the holes plugged in Noor’s heart would go a long way in improving ties between the two neighbours. ‘‘I have heard that more Pakistanis are bringing their children to Bangalore. It is heartening,’’ said Abdul Hye. But ask about Jinnah and he gets worked up. He died at the age of 92 in 2005 February.

Dina

Nusli Wadia

Abdul Hye had a desire to meet Jinnah’s daughter Dina and grandson Nusli Wadia, the chairman of Bombay Dyeing, but that could not be fulfilled.