Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa passed away on December 5 at Apollo Hospital.
Six-time Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, fondly known as 'Amma' passed away in Tamil Nadu on December 5, after suffering a cardiac arrest a day before. She had been admitted in Apollo Hospitals since September when she had first collapsed at her residence in Poes Garden. She was initially diagnosed with fever and dehydration, and was later being treated for sepsis.
Birth
Jayalalithaa was born on February 24, 1948, at Mysore, Karnataka.
Family
She belonged to a Tamil Iyengar family. Her father, Jayaram, a lawyer by profession, passed away when she was young. Consequently, Jayalalithaa had to shift to Bengaluru first and then to Chennai with her mother, Vedavathi (known as Sandhya in the South Indian film industry), and brother.
Academics
She completed her matriculation in 1964 and took up a career in films, following her mother's footsteps, after that.
Film Career
► She acted in 130 films between 1964 and 1980.
► In 1964, 'Chinnada Gombe', her first film (in Kannada) was a major hit.
► In 1965, she made her debut in the Tamil film ‘Vennira Aadai' directed by CV Sridhar.
► Tamil actor Maruthur Gopala Ramachandran (popularly known as MGR) was her mentor. They acted in 28 films together. MGR founded the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in 1972.
► Her last film was 'Nadhiyai Thedi Vandha Kadal' in 1980. Jayalalithaa had also acted in a few Bollywood films during the span of her film career.
Political Career
► She joined the AIADMK in 1982, at the age of 34 years, and quickly rose through the party ranks. In 1983, she was made the propaganda secretary of the party, and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 1984. She completed her five-year term in the upper house.
► After the death of her mentor MGR in 1987, the AIADMK was split into two, with one faction supporting MGR's widow, Janaki Ramachandran, and the other, Jayalalithaa who claimed political legacy of MGR.
► However, the two factions of the party reunited in February 1989 after Janaki left politics. Later, Jayalalithaa was unanimously elected as the General Secretary of the AIADMK.
► In 1991, Jayalalithaa became the chief minister for the first time. She won her second term in 2001, third in 2011. And in 2016, she broke the three-decade pendulum swing of voters alternately choosing the AIADMK and the DMK, by winning 134 of 232 seats.
Controversies
► December 7, 1996: Jayalalithaa was arrested on charges of corruption, including accumulation of disproportionate assets, follows. These charges were levelled by Subramanian Swamy in 1996, when he accused her of amassing wealth worth Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate to her known sources of income during 1991 and 1996.
► April, 1997: DMK Government sets up three special courts to try 47 corruption cases against Jayalalithaa, her former cabinet colleagues and others. Prosecution was launched against Jayalalithaa, her close friend Sashikala, and two others a Chennai Court in DA case.
► In 1999, she was discharged in coal import deal case by special court; Upheld by Madras High Court.
► She was convicted in the Pleasant Stay Hotel case in February 2, 2000, related to permission granted for construction allegedly flouting rules.
► In October, 2000, a special court in Chennai convicted her in the TANSI land deal case.
► On September 27, 2014, a trial court convicted and sentenced Jayalalithaa to four years in jail along with a penalty of Rs 100 crore in the 18-year-old disproportionate assets case. She challenged the decision in the Karnataka High Court and was acquitted of all the charges in May 2015.
Awards and Honours
► The Government of Tamil Nadu honoured her with the Kalaimamani Award in 1972.
► The University of Madras conferred her with the Degree of Doctor of Literature (LittD) in 1991.
► Dr MGR Medical University conferred her with the Degree of Doctor of Science in 1992.
► Tamil Nadu Agricultural University conferred her with the Degree of Doctor of Science in 2003.
► Honoured with the Golden Star of Honour and Dignity Award by the International Human Rights Defence Committee, Ukraine in 2004.
► She was invited by the House of Lords, London, to receive the ‘Woman Politician of the Decade’ award from the Asian Guild Awards in 2004.
► The New Jersey General Assembly passed a Resolution commending her service and exemplary dedication to the people of Tamil Nadu, in 2011.
Trivia
► Jayalalithaa was fluent in English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi.
► She was trained in classical dance forms like Bharatnatyam, Mohini Attam, Kathak and Manipuri.
► She is said to have been the first to wear skirts on screen in Tamil films.
► She was an avid reader and had a large private library with a huge collection of books.
(With agency inputs)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "J Jayalalithaa")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}