Born as Komalavalli on 24 February 1948, Jayaram Jayalalithaa was one of the most popular woman politician the nation has seen. Fondly known as Amma, Jayalalithaa’s rise in Tamil Nadu’s politics is the perfect story of a woman living life on her own terms.
Amma was also seen as a distant, enigmatic figure. But in an interview with Simi Garewal in 1999, she spoke openly about her childhood, her father’s death, of how she spent a lot of her time pining for her mother. She also shed on light on her idea of love, how she got into films and the ordeals she had to face to sustain in politics.
Here are some quotes from the interview:
What Leadership Meant to Her
On Being In the Limelight
Her Idea of Love
On Her Fighting Spirit
Her Tryst With Politics
On MGR and Her Mother
Also Read: Humans of Chennai: Amma Edition
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)