10 Things You Should Know About Jayalalithaa

Jayalalithaa Jayaram

Jayalalithaa Jayaram was a lady who unwillingly did all things that make her life memorable. Her presence in politics was merely a chance of luck. Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian actress and politician who served five terms as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, for over fourteen years between 1991 and 2016. From 1989 she was the general secretary of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), a Dravidian party whose cadre revered her as their Amma (mother) and Puratchi Thalaivi (leader), among other honorifics.

Young Jayalalithaa

1) She revealed in an interview that she had lived her childhood upto 4 years of age. After her life was like a schedule which she never liked. She was admitted to a convent school. After school she used to train herself in classical music and classical dance everyday, which she never liked.

2) Her grandfather was palace surgeon in Mysore Palace. She was born here on 24th Feb 1948. She was named "Kumlawali" but her mother used to call her "Ammu". When Ammu was 2 years old and her mother was 20, her father passed away.

Child Jayalalithaa

3) She later revealed in an interview that her father was 'gentleman of pleasure'. The relation with her father was not quite normal.

4) Her mother was an actress too. When she was 4 year old and used to live in bangalore with her mother. Her mother was working in secretariat there. There used to live her mother's sister in the neighbourhood who was then working in film industry and with whom some producers used to visit her. Once a producer saw her mother and proposed to work in film industry.

5) After this incident Jayalalithaa childhood ended at the age of four as her mother was quite busy with the film schedule and Jayalalithaa had to live with her aunt. Sometime when Jayalalithaa mother come to visit her , Jayalalithaa used to cry when she finds her mother is missing in morning. Her life journey probably gave her the fighting spirit.

6) Her first crush was Nariman Jamshedji Nari Contractor a former cricket player. She likes his cricket and him. She used to go buy tickets of test matches to see him. Her second crush was Shammi Kapoor, an Indian film actor and director. Her favorite was 'Junglee' film and 'Yahoo' song.

7) She was very talented girl in school , after finishing her 10th she got scholarship. She wanted to become a lawyer. But universe had planned something for her, her mother asked her to join film industry as the financial condition was not so good and she was not getting roles. Jayalalithaa then joined film industry which she never had dreamed or thinked about.

8) Her first success in film industry was in form of 'Gudachari 116', she acted with great south actor MGR (Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran) in 28 films. Her fans used to call MGR 'Annan' means brother and Jayalalithaa 'Anni' means brothers wife. MGR was active in politics with DMK . He introduced Jayalalithaa to the world of politics.

9) MGR left DMK due to internal politics and founded his own party AIADMK in 1972. He became Tamil Nadu chief minister in 1977. MGR made Jayalaithaa the party propaganda secretary. Due to his decision many members were not happy. Jayalalithaa was sent to Rajya Sabha in 1983. Her contribution and work in Rajya Sabha was quite impressive.

10) After the death of MGR 24 dec 1987 Jayalalithaa proclaimed herself his political heir and, having fought off the faction headed by Janaki Ramachandran, MGR's widow, emerged as the sole leader of the AIADMK. She was elected as Tamil Nadu chief minister in 1991. She earned a reputation for a punishing work ethic and for centralising state power among a coterie of bureaucrats; her council of ministers, whom she often shuffled around, were largely ceremonial in nature.

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