Jottings : slice of life - 69 ( Dr J Jayalalitha - a great artist, a woman of indomitable will and a charismatic leader)

Jottings : slice of life - 69 ( Dr J Jayalalitha - a great artist, a woman of indomitable will and a charismatic leader)
( PS : I dont want this article to be read like an obituary, because it is most definitely not one. Dr J jayalalitha has been confined to a Hospital for the last two and half months, and we have not seen a cheerful photograph of her till date. Nor do we have any concrete news on her medical condition. All that we have is mere speculation, rumors and half baked rejoinders by her inner party circle. As a Tamilian, I join millions all over the State of Tamilnadu in hoping that she recovers well and steps of her confinement. Our prayers are with her. However, even if she does, it is highly unlikely she will have enough energy and health left in her to regain active control and immersively participate in the administration of her party or State. To that extent, I think, we have reached the end of one of the brightest, controversial and determined political careers in independent India. For better part of my life in South India, starting early 1990’s Jayalalitha has been part of my daily life in some manner or other. Never has a day passed by when she wasn't in news. Either as Chief minister, leader of the opposition, or Aunt to an adopted nephew, or simply as an Individual who just will not stop at anything to reach her destination , I have literally grown up with her in the background of my life. “Amma”, as she is affectionately called by her party followers, took over from where Dr MGR left off. The great Paternal void left by the charismatic actor and leader was quickly filled by his Maternal Protege, and she sustained, nurtured and nourished the greater than God image of her Master and took it to levels unimaginable in modern day political Governance.. This article is my personal musing about her, her tenacity, her determination and rise to power. I want my readers to read it in that spirit. Nothing more, Nothing less. )
The first vivid memory I have of Jayalalitha is of her clad in white saree, elegant and subdued, 38 years of age then, - standing in an open van rearranging flowers and garlands on the lifeless body of her mentor Late Chief Minister of Tamilnadu Dr MGR in 1987, alongside his wife and other senior party functionaries. It was a Jam packed Funeral possession. Even a Gandhi wasn't sent off with as much emotional farewell as MGR was. He was after all a Demi-God to Tamilians, their divine incarnation on earth, and now they were orphaned. Atop that van stood all potential inheritors of his legacy, including his aged, innocent wife and ambitious party veterans, and it was clear that one among that motley crowd would assume the mantle of power. But nobody could guess who or how? Furthermore, the slice of memory that stands out from the funeral procession is of Jayalalitha being pushed, jostled around and not given her legitimate place besides her friend, political guru, a co-actor in more than 24 movies, and importantly a man who inspired her to live a life beyond the world of tinsel town. She was an outsider in the party and not many liked MGR’s closeness to her. And her presence on that van wasn't welcomed at all. But there on top of that van was the true beginning of political career of Jayalalitha. She was insulted in public, and she channelized that anger into carving for himself an astounding Political career in the state of Tamilnadu, and to a certain extent nationally as well. Until then, her Rajya sabha membership, the post of party propagandist were only appetizers and a platform for something bigger, vaster and deeper than anyone could have imagined. For the next twenty five years, she would end up ruling Tamilnadu six times. each time coming back with greater majority and resolve then ever. Ruthlessly subduing any dissension, singlehanded dismantling the most powerful political structure in the state - that of DMK, and endearing herself to its people like her Mentor, her guru MGR did. It was one heck of a life lived in all its glory and tribulations. Her death, whenever that happens, will be an end of an era, not merely for her and her party, but for politics in Tamilnadu as a whole.
The young girl Jayalalitha Jayaraman could have become anything she wanted. She was an accomplished singer, dancer, and could play several musical instruments with flair and grace; she was extremely intelligent, educated in best of schools, spoke English, Tamil , Kannada and Telugu with equal fluency and mastery. She stood first in her tenth grade statewide examination winning a gold medal. She could act with effortless ease under the insistence of her persuasive mother, completing films during her holiday breaks and then move on to resume her studies with no trouble at all. She was mysteriously beautiful: Dove eyed, with a symmetrical face and an hour glass figure -which every woman loved to possess; could carry herself with grace, dignity and coquetry both in traditional saris and modern outfits. She was the first female actor to wear a skirt on screen in Tamil cinema. Her contagious smile, childlike laughter, quick silver tongue, erudite repartee’s could captivate anyone within her orbit in no time. She could hold an educated audience spellbound with the depth of her oratory and width of her arguments. A born leader around whom friends and colleagues coagulated as bees around a Honeycomb. With her in a room, there couldn't be a second. What more could a young lady want by way of natural gifts. She possessed all of them and in ample measure. It was up to her to decide what she wanted to be, and that decision was made when she fell to the charm and glamour of MGR’s political life.
Dr MGR inducted her into politics only because he needed an educated, articulate, and savvy face to his party at the national level. Jayalalitha’s natural flair and grace was felt, and still remembered in the upper houses of Parliament. She didn't make too many speeches, but ones made left their mark on listeners. It was clear she was a lady with great determination and will power. And MGR knew her well enough. When one has acted in over twenty movies with a co-star, it is inevitable they will get to know each other pretty deeply. Though MGR had a family and a public image to keep up, he did encourage Jayalalitha to become his shadow. The sharp acumen of the leader perceived the pulse of his people well. After him, if there was somebody they would adore with same intensity as himself, it would have to be Jayalalitha. He understood that. But unfortunately, MGR was not open about it. And his death in 1987 tore open the seams of the party and volcanoes of dissension and hatred erupted. Like a well mentored protege, Jayalalitha weathered those gathering storms with equanimity, tact and poise and bided her time. And when it eventually came she proved herself to the undisputed queen of the AIDMK party. What had split into two factions, now became one - with Jayalalitha as its unanimous leader. This was in early nineties, and she has not looked back after that.
Over the last two decades, She has matured with every tenure. The initial lure of Power, wealth and sycophancy slowly gave way to more balanced and refined approach to chief ministership. She was and is still dictatorial, One cannot otherwise, as a Lady, Govern a land which is still predominantly male chauvinistic. She had to have an iron grip, and she learnt that art painfully but quickly on how to hold the reins of a male dominated party together. It is not the purpose of this essay to go into her political entanglements, but it will suffice to say that every challenge thrown at her was faced with courage, conviction and a bravado that comes when one knows that destiny beckons, and nothing can stop the final outcome.
Personally, I wonder how Jayalalitha herself would look at her life in retrospect. Would she have done anything different? Gifted as she was in all departments of life, Would she have chosen to remain an actor? She was obviously good and critically acclaimed as an artist; or would she have loved to continue her education to reach greater intellectual heights? The best of colleges were opening their doors to her at a time when not many girl students were persuaded to study? or - would she have never traded the allure and taste of Politics and power for anything else that life may have had to offer? Well, She chose to remain in Politics. That answers the question, I guess. The inexorable flow of time and circumstances carries each ship in its own course, and no matter how multifaceted or gifted one is, one realizes that not much is within control. We accept our destinies with stoic firmness and do the best we can with it.
This has turned out to be a rather long essay. I began writing this when I heard the rumor today ( we dont know for sure) that she suffered cardiac arrest and is back in the CCU. It was raining outside, and all of a sudden I felt like penning my thoughts on this remarkable lady. Hers has been a tiring, struggling and eventful journey to reach where she is right now - a beloved leader for whom millions will wait in heat and rain with bated breath to catch an ephemeral glimpse of her . Such adulation does not come easily, and definitely not to everybody. She is blessed and privileged. But for now, She needs rest and peace. I hope and pray she finds both very soon..
God bless….
yours in mortality,
Bala




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