Venkat Raman –
For 75 days, Tamil Nadu was in a state of flux.
The maverick Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram, who was addressed as ‘Amma’ (Mother) even by older people, was admitted to the Apollo Hospital. With nothing more than a sporadic bulletin that ‘she was on the mend,’ speculation was rife that all was not well with her.
When she passed away on December 5, 2016 following a cardiac arrest, millions of people mourned for the woman who had become a part of their lives, for better or worse.
Jayalalithaa used to describe herself as tempestuous, but the word did no justice to a woman who, as an actress, rivalled Elizabeth Taylor in looks and glamour and, as a politician, outshone a host of caudillos, dictators and presidents-for-life in grit, capriciousness, generosity, vindictiveness, charisma and greed.
She was in her 15th year as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Perhaps many of the millions who openly cried were beneficiaries of such schemes as ‘Amma Canteens’ and ‘Amma Pharmacies,’ which sell subsidised meals and medicine, or of her government’s handouts of blenders, fans and other goodies, adorned with her picture; but there were many more who were simply moved by the woman’s steadfastness.
A more detailed report appears under Homelink.
Photo:
Jayalalithaa Jayaram, the ‘Mother of Tamil Nadu’
