Iron Lady

No one can get anything out of me or subdue me by threats, harsh treatment; it only makes me more stubborn, inflexible, unbending, determined.

The only way anyone can get me to cooperate is to be nice to me, pamper me, cajole me, talk to me kindly.."

That was J Jayalalithaa, the highly unpredictable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, who sadly is no more. Her departure thus comes as unexpected to the legions of her fans and her bitter critics as the authorities treating her well past over six weeks kept claiming that she was progressing and progressing well.

Her rivals called her a bundle of contradictions and as the one suffering from victim syndrome. That she had attitudinal problems that could be traced to her past and that she treated men in personal life as the ones who failed her.

Whatever, one might say, Amma as she was known and regarded widely, was a true Amma – a symbol of all motherhood to her followers and fans.

She transcended the realms of the ordinary and remained a goddess. Amma was no ordinary ruler of politician of Tamil Nadu and life for millions would not be the same again without her.

She was not just their Chief Minister, but a benefactor beyond. From the pulpit of Tamil Nadu's politics no leader could go unscathed.

They are always "misjudged, misled, misinterpreted, misunderstood and mismanaged." And Selvi Jayalalithaa was no different.

Jayalalithaa Jayaraman (pronounced born 24 February 1948, commonly referred to as Amma and Puratchi Thalaivi by members in her party) has been the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu since 2015. Previously, she served as Chief Minister from 1991 to 1996, in 2001, from 2002 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2014.

She was an actress before her entry into politics and appeared in 140 films which include Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films.

As a leading actress in films from 1961 to 1980, she was considered as one of the most prolific and most versatile actresses, having appeared in films of different genres and for performing wide variety of characters.

She had denied the claims that MGR introduced her to politics, though she proclaimed herself as his heir. She was the second lady Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu after Janaki Ramachandran.

Jayalalithaa became the first incumbent Chief Minister in India to be disqualified from holding office due to conviction in a disproportionate assets case on September 27, 2014.

Acquitted later, she resumed office. She became the sixth time Chief Minster on 23rd May 2016. In an extremely politically conscious state, where each successive government had been keen to focus on the welfare schemes, Jayalalithaa reign stands out exemplary.

Utilising funds for social welfare and making buck work are two difficult extremes, but Jaya managed the same with aplomb.

Amma Unavagam, highly subsidised canteens, earned her the encomiums as never before. If she made the State a fountainhead of populist schemes,

she was not to be blamed as she loved her people, particularly the marginalised sections so much. Politically too, on the national stage, she never lowered her stature, as others are prone to.