The Life And Times Of Being 'Amma'

Visit Tamil Nadu and you’ll experience the ubiquity of brand Jayalalithaa—even salt sachets bear her benignly smiling visage. Kayalvizhi Arivalan traces the journey of the formidable force simply known as Amma

- Kayalvizhi Arivalan

In May 2016, when the AIADMK rose to power again in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections, Dr J Jayalalithaa was sworn in as chief minister for the sixth time, against a cacophony of criticism from political opponents as well as the media. She created history by becoming the first Tamil Nadu CM in the last 30 years to win two consecutive terms, a record earlier set by her political mentor, Dr Marudhur Gopalan Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR. “I have no other interest in life except to work for the people of Tamil Nadu,” she said, after the results were announced. People who know her say she is highly unpredictable. People who worship her say she is the embodiment of love and courage. Whether it was in her previous avatar as a movie star or her current one in the bitterly competitive arena of state politics, the public adores her.

She was given the name Komalavalli when she was born on February 24, 1948 to lawyer Jayaram and Vedavalli, who also had a son Jayakumar. At the age of two, she lost her father and her mother had to shoulder the burden of running the family. Jayalalithaa, as she was later named in school admission forms, was fondly called Ammu at home. Her aunt had already appeared in films and suggested that Vedavalli too join the industry. The single mother soon began acting using the screen name Sandhya. Due to her busy schedule, Jayalalithaa grew up with her maternal grandparents and barely saw her mother. In an interview, she was quoted as saying, “I had the opportunity to see my mother only during summer vacations. When it was time for her to leave home, I used to hold on to her sari and make a fuss about it. After I dozed off, my mother would make her sister wear the same sari and leave for work.”