As J Jayalalithaa’s funeral procession reached Chennai’s Marina Beach on Tuesday evening, wails of grief filled the air. Lakhs of people have gathered to get a final glimpse of their beloved Amma or mother, who was buried in a sandalwood casket next to the memorial of her mentor, MG Ramachandran with full state honours. Also attending the funeral are top political leaders and there is heavy security, with thousands of policemen posted.
Ms Jayalalithaa, 68, died at 11.30 on Monday night, after a huge cardiac arrest the day before.It took the Army truck that served as a hearse more than an hour to cover the three-km journey from Rajaji Hall, a public auditorium in Chennai where Ms Jayalalithaa’s body lay in state all day. Massive crowds packed the large grounds of Rajaji Hall and grown men and women wept in grief as they attempted to reach the body.
Thousands lined the route of the funeral procession and others walked next to the vehicle in which Ms Jayalalithaa’s body was carried in a glass coffin draped with the national flag and covered with flowers.
People showered the hearse with flowers. Big photographs of Ms Jayalalithaa were placed all around the coffin and Ms Jayalalithaa’s long-time companion, Sasikala Natarajan and her family were seated next to it. Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who took oath last night hours after Ms Jayalalithaa died, also traveled on the hearse.
Sasikala Natarajan, dressed in black has been near Ms Jayalalithaa’s body all day. At Rajaji Hall she was seen adjusting the green sari that Ms Jayalalithaa was dressed in. Green was the leader’s favourite colour, she felt it was lucky for her.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his respects to Ms Jayalalithaa this afternoon, flying to Rajaji Hall in a chopper from the Chennai airport. Security was tested as massive crowds surged forward to get a glimpse of the Prime Minister.
President Pranab Mukherjee, whose arrival in Chennai was delayed by a technical snag in his plane, too paid tribute to Ms Jayalalithaa. Chief ministers of eight states like Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal and Akhilesh Yadav of Uttar Pradesh and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi are attending Ms Jayalalithaa’s funeral.
In huge relief for the administration, there has been no violence since the news of Ms Jayalalithaa’s death. For lakhs whose devotion to her bordered on the religious, self-harming shows of loyalty were not uncommon. When she was arrested on corruption charges in 2014, her party said 200 people committed suicide in anger and sorrow. Public buses were set on fire. From within jail, the politician asked – as urged by the Supreme Court – for calm to be maintained.
Ms Jayalalithaa was revered especially by the rural poor for the vast amount of giveaways she provided – mixer-grinders, laptops – ahead of elections. In recent years, her government introduced the Amma brand of massively subsidised water, canteens and medicines which endeared her further to the poor, while stressing the state’s finances.
Earlier this year, Ms Jayalalithaa beat a nearly three-decade-long tradition to be re-elected as Chief Minister. Before that, Tamil Nadu alternated between choosing Ms Jayalalithaa and political adversary, the DMK.
