#RIP Selvi Jayalalithaa Jayaram, Pune prays for your eternal peace

December 7, 2016

It is the end of another era of leadership. End of the Puraitchi Thalaivi, the revolutionary leader, a woman who made her way to the top and stayed there.

Amma, as she was known, survived in the oppressively male dominated, patriarchal environment of Dravidian Politics, proving herself for what she was worth, taking charge of the party as the General Secretary of the AIADMK party in 1989, Jayalalithaa had a full and fruitful political career, going on to spend five terms as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in a span of fourteen years from 1991 to 2016.

Graduating at the top of her class from the Sacred Heart Matriculation School in Chennai, J. Jayalalithaa made a reluctant entry into the film industry in the sixties, becoming an actress in order to support her family. She went on to have a successful career, with over 140 films in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada from 1961 to 1980.

It was her film career that eventually led to her political career when one of her frequent Co- Stars, a megastar in his own right, MG Ramachandran or MGR, as he was known to the masses, became a politician and took her in under his wing as his protégé. She soon rose up through the ranks, eventually becoming the AIADMK’s propaganda secretary and after MGR’s death, she fought off opposition from his widow, Janaki and united the party, going on to lead five governments, gain thumping majorities and fight a bitter political war with the DMK, lead by M. Karunanidhi.

“Amma’s passing away has truly left a void in all her supporters’ lives. She broke away from the patriarchal, conventional, male-dominated politics of Tamil Nadu and paved the way forward, showing everybody that no matter what the rumours or corruption charges, she could bring thumping victories to her party”. Says Sujitha Sundaram.

It was hardly a nice world for her and she had had to deal with a number of rumours and allegations regarding her relationship with MGR, her relationship with her close friend Sasikala and even a public disrobing. She weathered it all, retaining her place at the top, making herself someone who people wouldn’t dare point fingers at, being ruthless with èlan.

As Nivedita Sanjai puts it, “I don’t feel she was any more corrupt than your average politician. The difference was that she was a woman, and that’s something that has played out throughout her life. If you look at how far she has come, it is truly remarkable because she has reversed every gender role in Tamil Nadu politics. And, as a woman, make it to the top and stay there, I think that’s pretty impressive. As a politician, obviously she worked for her main stakeholder group; women. So she did more than any other party did. But, the fact remains that politics is murky business at best, and obviously she employed questionable means to meet her ends. She was ruthless, no doubt but ambitious and successful. And that’s what matters”.

Much like every other great leader, she has left behind a space that can’t be filled. Not just for her followers but also for her enemies, with acknowledgement of her impressive career from her Arch Rival, M. Karunanidhi, leader of the DMK.

Now to see, what the future holds for the AIADMK and for Tamil Nadu.