FROM `AMMU' TO `AMMA' – THE INSPIRING STORY
OF
THE IRON LADY OF TAMIL NADU
With passing away of
Miss J. Jayalalitha an Era has come to an end in Tamil Nadu and Indian Politics.
What she has not succeeded in her life
time, she did in her death, in making all the leaders across all parties,
including DMK leaders, gathering to pay rich tributes to her and DMK releasing
a poster with her photo for the first time keeping aside for a minute their rivalry.
People may have their
own opinion about Jayalalitha, but there is no denying of the fact that she is
one of the most popular mass leaders of Tamil Nadu/India and earned a permanent
place in the hearts of poor specially female for whom she remains their `Amma’.
She groomed herself as the most
fearless Iron Lady, who never showed her back to adversaries,
lived her life completely on her terms and un-apologetically ignored the general
norms and conventions.
The
Early days: Though her
family was affluent her Father squandered their wealth and died leaving the
family in deep financial mess when she was hardly two years old.
Her mother has to shift to Madras to try her hand in Tamil films, leaving her to the care of aunt and grandparents. She was convent educated and a brilliant student and topped at state level and won scholarship to pursue further studies and wanted to pursue law.
Her mother has to shift to Madras to try her hand in Tamil films, leaving her to the care of aunt and grandparents. She was convent educated and a brilliant student and topped at state level and won scholarship to pursue further studies and wanted to pursue law.
But the destiny and her Mother had different plans for her. Her mother pushed her into film industry at a tender age of fifteen.
The long and successful film journey:
Jalalitha did not start her film career with Tamil film. She debuted in BR Pantulu’s Kannada movie `Chiannada Gombe’ in the year 1964, which was a runaway success. Even while the shooting of this movie was on, she was dabbling with her studies and took that as a one off outing. In 1965 she paired with her mentor MG Ramachandran (MGR) in `Aayirathil Oruvan’, a lavishly mounted action movie in colour dealing with the subject of pirates. It was a major blockbuster and that was the beginning of the successful and enduring on screen pairing with MGR in 28 movies between1965-73, most of which were big time money spinners. Apart from Tamil movies, she worked with top stars like NTR and ANR in Telugu and also Kannada movies.
She worked as leading lady in her only
Bollywood movie Izzat with Dharmendra. 
She
was a polyglot with ability speak in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi
and English. In a career spanning over
fifteen years she acted in 140 movies and was tipped as the highest paid
actresses of her times. As in every
walk of life, she has been very bold in her movie career too. She was the first heroin in Tamil movie who
wore knee length skirts, sleeveless tops and banked heavily on glamour along
with dancing and acting skills. MGR’s Mentoring :
Jayalalitha was under the great influence of her
mother as long as she was alive and after mother’s death, she found an able
mentor in MGR who had an equal amount of influence over her like her
mother. Their on screen romance has
spilled over to their personal lives but unlike in other much publicised
romance between film personalities it was kept as a close guarded secret so
that it does not damage the political public image of MGR . Due to the frenzy fan following the south
Indian stars command, South Indian journalists, unlike their North Indian
counter parts could never dare to cross the line to peep into personal lives,
so the personal angle between MGR and Jayalalitha remained to themselves to a
great extent. In public life they
conducted themselves with great degree of dignity.
The
Most enduring Political Career :
With Vanishri, Manjula,
Jayaprada and Sridevi becoming popular stars Jayalalitha was reaching sunset in
her film career. By that time MGR has
formed AIDMK and has taken the mettle of the state as Chief Minister. To leverage Jayalalitha’s popularity and
mass base, MGR inducted her into the party and appointed as Propaganda
Secretary and then as Rajya Sabha member. For the second time in her life
Jayalalita has been pushed into a high pressure career very reluctantly. As MGR was an undisputed king of AIDMK no
one in the rank and cadre shown any resentment toward the big push he gave
Jayalalitha and her raise in the party.
Her sailing in politics was very smooth as long as MGR was alive, but
when he died in 1987, Jayalalitha faced her biggest challenge in her political
career and a `make or break situation’.
She faced the rude reality when she was not allowed to pay her last
respects to MGR and physically thrown out of the carriage of MGR last
journey. Her claim to be the political
heir was challenged by the MGR’s wife Janakai Ramachandran faction. After the 1989 election debacle both of the faction
of AIDMK was merged, Janaki Ramachandran took political sanyas and Jayalalita
became the General Secretary of AIDMK and the undisputed leader. She was elected as leader of opposition of
the TN assembly.
In 1991 Jayalalitha became Chief Minister of TN for the first time and was youngest Chief Minister of TN. She served as Chief Minister five terms for fourteen years between 1991 and 2016. These fourteen years have been a roller coaster ride for her in and out of power and in and out of jails. More or less Karunanidhi and Jayalalita took turns to become Chief Minister almost every time the anti-incumbency factor working except in the last elections.
Populist
measures and mass base
:
Despite huge negative
publicity due to large number of corruption cases, serving of jail terms,
aristocratic and arrogant life style, she succeeded in neutralising these
negatives by developing huge mass base with the help of populist measures most
of which were aimed towards welfare of the poor and downtrodden. In this aspect she bettered her mentor MGR’s
mid day meal scheme, by introducing number of welfare measures like Amma
Canteens, Amma Salt, Amma Bottled Water, Amma Pharmaceis, Amma Baby Care,
Amudam, Amma Cement, Amma Theaters and Amma Job Training. Thousands of crores of tax payers’ money was
spent on these schemes which was primarily aimed at wooing the poor voters and
building the brand `Amma’ by putting
her photograph on every bag, bottle, pack and advertisement. In additions to
these, during election time, all conceivable things from sewing machines,
laptops, colour TV, mixer and grinders, to golden chains were distributed which
was unique to the state of Tamil Nadu. It
is beyond anyone’s comprehension how such open wooing and in a way purchasing
of votes was not treated as violation of model code of conduct by Election Commission.
The
unconventional, unemotional female chauvinist
Jayalalitha remained an
unconventional throughout her life. First though born in a traditional Brahmin
family and remained deeply religious and superstitious, chose to join and head
a Dravidian party which has always been anti-Brahmin. She chose to have romantic liaison with a
person who is older to her by more than 30 years and remained unmarried. Never maintained close relations with brother
and other family members but drew closer to and trusted friend Sashikala and
her family members.
Normally politicians try
very hard to project their clean image before the public and take every
possible care to protect that image. But
Jayalalitha, did whatever she liked and wanted to do without bothering about the
damage to her public image. She built a
palace and enjoyed lavish life style, indulged in a vulgar display of wealth
and power in her foster son’s wedding, which apart from other things created
couple of Gunnies World Records. This
misadventure has even costed her next elections but she was never repentant
about it.
For some unfathomable reasons,
in her political life she very unapologetically projected herself to be a
female chauvinist. She never had any
qualms in the entire team of legislature members publically prostrate and fall
at her feet and most of the time she hardly acknowledged it. The film industry and politics have always
been tough for females and exploitation is not uncommon and it was quite
possible that they turned Jayalalitha what she has become. One cannot really say how much of cynical
pleasure she derived out of it, but surely it lowered the dignity and image of
Tamilians before entire India/World.
When she was insulted
in the State Assembly by DMK cadre by almost enacting Draupadi Vastrabhaharanam
episode, she gave it back very hard by getting Karunanidhi stripped off his
Lungi at midnight and getting Maran physically lifted who came to his rescue
and threw both of them in jail.
As far as her party is concerned she handled it with Iron fists. Appointments and removal of Ministers and Bureaucrats were absolutely unpredictable and whimsical and any trace of dissent was not tolerated. There is only one unwritten law in the party either you are with her or you are not there.
As far as her party is concerned she handled it with Iron fists. Appointments and removal of Ministers and Bureaucrats were absolutely unpredictable and whimsical and any trace of dissent was not tolerated. There is only one unwritten law in the party either you are with her or you are not there.
Though ultimately
acquitted in many of the corruption cases, she was one of the very few Indian
Chief Ministers who got arrested and got disqualified from holding the august
office. The solitary confinement and inhuman behaviour meted to her, by her own
admission, has made her tougher than ever before. But to her credit she showed tremendous
grit, tenacity and will power to bounce back and it is a poetic justice that
she died while in office.
How
Jayalalita will be remembered :
History will remember her
as one of the most charismatic and mass leader, great administrator, orator, glamorous
star and an Iron Lady with very strong will and grit. Her
name will always be taken in a same breath as Indira Gandhi to be the torch
bearer for Feminist movement in India. 
In one of her
interviews Jayalalitha said that Indian tradition is that a girl is born as a
daughter, then becomes a wife and should die as a Mother, I could not achieve
myself as a Wife, but I will definitely die as a Mother. How true she was, she died as `AMMA’ for millions in Tamil Nadu and
India specially the poor. Here is a
case where a person has equalled her Mentor if not bettered. 
Long
live Amma
S. PRABHAKAR
7.12.1016
