Journey Of Amma From University Topper To Highest Paid Actress To A Revolutionary Leader
“Amma”, a mother, “Puratchi Thalaivi”, a revolutionary leader and an “Iron Lady” , all these names reflects the love and belief of the followers of C.M of Tamil Nadu, Late J Jayalalithaa who passed at the age of 68 on 5th of december 2016 due to cardiac ailment in Chennai. Jayalalithaa was one of India’s most powerful and popular politicians, and was commonly referred as one of the legends of South Indian films before entering into politics.
She was a symbol of strength for many women in the Indian society. She fought against so many odds to make a name for herself in a male-dominating profession like politics. she would be remembered as a great politician, a great champion and inspiration for women’s rights in the society.
1. Jayalalithaa was born in Mysore at a place called Melukote on 24 February 1948. Her father Jayaram, a lawyer by profession, passed away when she was just two years old. Consequently, Jayalalitha and her brother Jayakumar had to shift to Bangalore along with their mother Vedavathi, who started working in Tamil cinema.
2. She has sung many songs in the films. She also knows many dance forms such as Bharatha Natyam, classical dance, Mohini Attam, Kathak and Manipuri.
3.She topped her state in her school-leaving exams and was awarded a scholarship to college studies. However, to tide over her family’s financial crisis, she began to act instead. She was fluent in several languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam and English. Her ability to speak English, considered a social marker
4. Jayalalithaa rose to stardom as a child actor. Her first lead role was in the Kannada film Chinnada Gombe in 1964 at the age of 15. She acted in more than 140 films from the 1960s. She was a successful actress of her time, paired with the top heroes of all south Indian languages.
5. She entered politics in 1982 and was appointed the AIADMK’s propaganda secretary in 1983. In 1984, MGR made her a Rajya Sabha member and she continued to be a parliamentarian till 1989.
6. Her big moment in politics, ironically, came with the death of her mentor MGR later in 1987. A power struggle broke out between MGR’s wife Janaki Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa. Publicly humiliated and kicked off MGR’s funeral procession carriage, she began consolidating a support base within the party. The divided AIADMK lost the 1989 elections to the DMK but Jaya’s faction garnered more seats than Janaki’s, leaving the former with sole control of the party.
7. Her heroine moment came in 1989 when the TN assembly witnessed its darkest hour. Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was delivering a speech when an ugly and abusive row broke out between Jayalalithaa and the DMK chief. She started staging a walkout when a DMK minister allegedly tried to disrobe her. The incident united the AIADMK firmly behind Jayalalithaa and she went on to win the 1991 elections, becoming the CM for the first time.
8. In 1996 Jayalalithaa was jailed in a corruption case as soon as Karunanidhi came back to power. Her legal battles continued even as her party was handed another mandate by the people in 2001.
9. In 2001, an additional letter “a” was appended to the spelling of her name for reasons related to numerology.
10. She enjoyed a third win as CM in 2011 and became the first returning chief minister of the state in three decades in 2016, two years after another brief stay in jail.
J Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu’s beloved Amma, was buried in Sandalwood Casket on Chennai’s Marina Beach near to the memorial of her mentor MG Ramachandran. Lakhs of people followed her funeral procession to get a final glimpse of their late leader.
The departed leader was a rare political personality who charted a distinct path of governance through her strong and able leadership. A multi-talented personality who had always carved a niche for herself in all walks of life, be it a student excelling in academics, an artist,a versatile actor and a great leader of the masses and elite.