CHENNAI, India: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha Jayaram’s funeral was held at Marina Beach with full state honours. Her body was buried in sandalwood casket next to her mentor and political guru MG Ramachandran. Her close aide Sasikala performed the last rites.
Mourners clambered onto statues, trees and soft drinks stalls that lined the city's Marinna beach, eager to view the cortege. Television channels put the number of mourners at around one million.
Over two tonne of flowers from several destinations were used by about 40 workers who worked for 10 hours to prepare the Army truck and gun carriage for the final journey of Jayalalitha.
Chaotic scenes and near-stampede situation prevailed many times at Rajaji Hall on Tuesday where AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha's body was kept for people to pay their last respect.
Party men and public broke police cordons to have last glimpse of their beloved leader, throwing security arrangements out of gear.
The last journey of Jayalalitha started on Tuesday evening from the Rajaji Bhavan for the Marina.
Soon after President Pranab Mukherjee and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi paid floral tributes to Jayalalitha, the coffin was loaded on to a military vehicle, which proceeded slowly through the streets packed with mourners towards Marina Beach.
Thousands throng to pay respects to beloved leader
Hundreds of thousands of people thronged the southern Indian city of Chennai on Tuesday to honour their late beloved leader, Jayaram Jayalalitha, a former film actress and popular politician.
Jayalalitha, chief minister of Tamil Nadu state, died overnight following a heart attack a day earlier.
A sea of weeping mourners surged toward the steps of a public hall where Jayalalitha's body, draped in the Indian flag, was kept on a raised platform.
Thousands of police officers formed chains to stop the heaving crowd from surging up the steps. Men and women wept, some breaking into loud wails. Several mourners fainted from the heat and dehydration. Police said some had been keeping vigil outside the Apollo Hospital since Sunday and then walked to Rajaji Hall at daybreak.
In the evening, hundreds of thousands of people followed a slow-moving military truck carrying her body in a glass coffin to a beachside burial ground.
Mammooty, Mohanlal condole death
South Indian film stars Mammootty, Mohanlal and Sarath Kumar took to the social media to mourn the passing away of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.
"The love of the people is the ultimate truth. To be loved as a Mother is above that and beyond impossible, yet Ms Jayalalithaa conquered that Impossible to live on into the future as an example for Women and Men alike. Peace (sic)," Malayalam superstar Mammootty said in a Facebook Post.
Another Malayalam superstar, Mohanlal's facebook post and twitter handle has a photo of Jayalalithaa and a one line message: "Rest in Peace."
"Iron lady of TN who gave us hope to have prime ministerial candidate from TN is no more with us," said R Sarath Kumar in his Twitter message.
His wife Raadika Sarath Kumar said:" Deeply saddened by the passing away of our Honorable CM, leaves a void in mine & millions of heart. A peoples person, strong spirited, classy.
"And a fighter to the end. Leaves a great vacuum in people's heart, but leaves a piece of her in everyone who met her. You inspire all #RIP," she said.
Popular playback singer Chinmayi Sripada said, "And just like that, she is gone. A lady who would always be an inspiration. Matchless and peerless. I wish she finds true happiness and mukti wherever she has reached. Adieu Ma'am. I didn't think I'd see this day this soon and that she wouldn't even see her 70th birthday."
Actor Suriya Sivakumar said: "We have lost a people's leader, deeply grieved!! #Ripamma #Ironlady. suriya sivakumar."
Expressing shock, popular Tamil actor Ajith Kumar said: "She had fought many battles and stood tall among the leaders of our times."
Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha said, "I remember her smiling face, on the other hand I feel sad for her demise. Since she was from our family (the film industry), it makes me incredibly sad."
"She was a wonderful leader. A wonderful woman. I have never seen such a deep connect of a leader (with people). I have seen people's love for her. You could see their grief when she was hospitalised. Seldom are there (leaders) with such amazing connect," actor Paresh Rawal said.
Chennai shuts down to pay homage to iconic Jayalalitha
The otherwise throbbing Chennai shut down on Tuesday to pay its tribute to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. And for once, no one was grudging any inconvenience.
From roadside tea shops to businesses, from shops to all offices, from hotels to cinema theatres, from petrol bunks to picnic spots, from private and public transport to educational institutions -- it was shutters down all across the sprawling city.
And the outpouring of grief in homes and on the streets was genuine.
Irrespective of who they may have voted for in the past, most people in Chennai felt Jayalalithaa, 68, had a premature death and that she deserved to live some more years.
Telangana CM condoles Jayalalithaa's death
Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao expressed his shock over the demise of his Tamil Nadu counterpart Jayalalithaa.
He said that her followers and admirers regarded her as the Purachi Thalavi and as revolutionary leader in Tamil Nadu politics.
"In her passing, the state of Tamil Nadu had a great void which is difficult to fill in. It was a great loss to Tamil society," Rao said.
He hailed Jayalalitha as the political heir of the great M.G. Ramachandran.
"It was both challenging and inspirational. At a time when women entering politics was rare, Jayalalitha created a political history in the contemporary Tamil Nadu politics, by becoming AIADMK's General Secretary and later on as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu," he said.
Lawmakers pay homage
In New Delhi, lawmakers observed a minute's silence Tuesday before both houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day in respect for the woman whom many referred to as "Amma," or mother.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Jayalalitha's death left a "huge void in Indian politics." He flew to Chennai, where he placed a wreath on the body.
Roads leading to Chennai were clogged as people from remote villages poured into Tamil Nadu's capital to catch a last glimpse of their leader.
The Tamil Nadu government declared seven days of mourning for Jayalalitha, who was a five-time chief minister of the state. Schools and offices were closed after authorities declared public holidays in the state for three days.
Within hours of Jayalalitha's death, her trusted lieutenant, O. Panneerselvam, was sworn in as chief minister.
Hundreds of political leaders and film celebrities travelled to Chennai to attend Jayalalitha's funeral.
Famed for a vast sari collection that won her comparisons with Imelda Marcos, Jayalalithaa was also one of India’s most polarising politicians, seen by some as an autocratic and secretive leader.
Deeply saddened at the passing away of Selvi Jayalalithaa. Her demise has left a huge void in Indian politics.— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2016
But nothing could dent her popularity in Tamil Nadu, where she served three terms as chief minister during which it became one of India’s most prosperous states.
“Our beloved leader, the Iron lady of India... Amma, is no more,” her political party, AIADMK, said on Twitter.
Her body was put on display at a public hall in an open casket, wrapped in an India flag, as thousands of followers began to file past to pay their final respects from early morning.
Several of the mourners could be seen breaking down in tears as they filed past the coffin in the state capital Chennai, according to television images.
Hundreds of devotees had kept a round-the-clock vigil outside the private hospital in Chennai - the city formerly known as Madras - since she was first admitted in September suffering from a fever.
When she first fell ill one supporter set himself on fire, while an elderly man suspended himself from a crane with steel hooks pierced through his skin.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is to head to Chennai later in the day, offered his condolences.
“I will always cherish the innumerable occasions when I had the opportunity to interact with Jayalalithaa ji (honorific). May her soul rest in peace,” Modi said on Twitter.
Populist schemes
The southern state had been tense since Sunday after reports that her health had worsened and she had been put on life support.
Earlier on Monday, scuffles broke out outside the hospital as many from the thousands of her supporters who had gathered outside tried to break through the police barricades.
Images on Indian news channels from across Chennai showed many men and women crying after her death was finally confirmed.
When her political mentor and former on-screen love interest M. G. Ramachandran died in 1987, riots and looting broke out across the state.
Ahead of Jayalalithaa’s death, police and security presence had been beefed up across Tamil Nadu over fears of chaos from her emotional followers.
Jayalalithaa had earned the loyalty of many voters with a series of populist schemes, including “Amma canteens” that provided lunch for just three rupees (five cents) and vast election-time giveaways that ranged from laptops to kitchen appliances.
Several of her supporters resorted to self-harm when she was briefly jailed in 2014 on charges of corruption.
Her conviction, later overturned on appeal, sparked mass protests and even some reported suicides.
Thousands of directors, actors and producers in the successful Tamil language film industry went on hunger strike to demand her release.
Jayalalithaa’s death has plunged one of India’s most economically powerful states into a period of political uncertainty.
Her trusted cabinet aide, O Panneerselvam, was sworn-in as the chief minister, but observers worry whether a loyalist, without real charisma or mass support, will be able to rule smoothly.
After midnight, thousands of people lined both sides of the roads in Chennai trying to catch a glimpse of the late leader as her body was taken from the hospital to her residence in another part of the city.
Tributes continue to pour in
Tributes continued to pour in for Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa with DMK chief M Karunanidhi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar among others condoling her death.
Expressing condolences, Karunanidhi said Jayalalithaa had passed away amid expectations that she will return home after receiving medical care from renowned specialists.
There may have been many differences of opinion between DMK and AIADMK but there can be no doubts she “bravely” worked for her partymen’s welfare, he said in a statement.
“Although she might have died at a young age (68), there is no doubt that her fame will remain forever,” he said.
Recalling Jayalalithaa’s film career, Karunanidhi said she had paired with matinee idol MG Ramachandran who later groomed her in politics after founding AIADMK.
Expressing grief over Jayalalithaa’s death, Parikkar said in a Twitter post: “I express my condolences on the passing away of TN CM J Jayalalithaa. I pray for strength to the people of Tamil Nadu at this sad hour.”
HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said Jayalalithaa had created ‘Brand Amma,’ politics of catering to the poor.
She had “created Brand Amma, a different kind of pro-poor politics. My heartfelt condolences,” he said.
In her twitter message, Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi said Jayalalithaa was a “very brave woman who lived several lives within one life completely on her own terms. Amma will live beyond hers.”
“Amma has moved over from time to eternity by the courage and determination with which she lived life on her own terms,” she said.
TNCC President Su Thirunavukkarasar also paid rich tributes to Jayalalithaa. A former associate of the late leader in his days in AIADMK, Thirunavukkarasar said Jayalalithaa enjoyed the love and affection of woman folk.
DMDK founder Vijayakant, Congress leader Karti P Chidambaram and AINRC MP from Puducherry R Radhakrishnan also condoled the death.
Expressing shock, popular Tamil actor Ajith Kumar said: “She had fought many battles and stood tall among the leaders of our times,” he said.
Tamil Nadu declares holiday for its offices
Tamil Nadu government has announced Tuesday as a holiday for its offices under the Negotiable Instruments Act, as a mark of respect to late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
A Government Order (GO) said the notified public holiday will apply to all state government offices, undertakings, corporations and boards.
Kerala announces holiday
Kerala announced a holiday on Tuesday to mourn the demise of Jayalalithaa. All government offices and educational institutions will remain closed.
Tried best to save Jayalalithaa: Apollo
Apollo Hospitals said despite the best possible treatment given to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, she was unable to recover after a massive cardiac arrest.
In a statement released after Jayalalithaa died on Monday night, the hospital, where she was admitted on September 22, said its doctors and paramedical staff “strived hard to provide the highest standards of care” to her.
The statement said Jayalalithaa earlier “responded well” to the treatment and “subsequently recovered substantially to be able to take food orally”.
“On this basis, (the) Chief Minister was shifted from the advanced Critical Care Unit to the High Dependency Unit, where her health and vitals continued to improve under the close monitoring of our expert panel of specialists.”
This was before Jayalalithaa suffered a massive cardiac arrest on Sunday evening.
She was given resuscitation and provided life support system of “extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)” -- the most advanced treatment currently available internationally for patients who suffer a cardiac arrest, the hospital said.
“Every possible clinical attempt was made to sustain her revival. However, despite our best efforts the Chief Minister’s underlying conditions rendered her unable to recover and she passed away.”
Funeral
Jayalalithaa’s body was first taken to her Poes Garden residence in the early hours and then brought to the Rajaji Hall. The funeral will take place at 4.30 pm at the Dr MGR Memorial site off Marina beach, the state government said in an official communication.
