Poof…. four years have gone by ! Maybe Thalaivar would not have made the decision to enter politics if she had still been around. Kamal Hasan would certainly have stayed away from politics and stuck to what he does best, acting. Maybe Khushboo would have joined the AIADMK instead of BJP. But one wrong friend ensured all this happened, and Jayalalitha is gone. A reluctant life… unloved.
Today one of the Twitter handles posted his reminiscences and brought it all back –
Link to the thread – https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1335117594454618118.html
Posting the thread here –
I first met her in Coimbatore,when she was doing the film , ஆயிரத்தில் ஒருவன் with the late MGR. She had come down for a dance recital , & was put up in hotel Alankar which was supposedly the best , those times ; the meeting was brief and as I grew up the charm changed to others
2. she was on her way up as Star; it must’ve been nearly 4 to 5 years, the editor of our college magazine wanted me to do an article on her, (by that time she was known as s gutsy person, no holds barred); I was rather taken aback when she recollected our earlier meet and then
4. All went smooth. I was in touch with her on and off and I was never into the movies , as I disliked their debauchery and multi faceted life style , however I was in touch with late Nagesh, JaiShankar, and a couple of others. It was fun being with them and I was elevated from
3. my favourite E stand at chepauk to pavilion terrace as Nagesh was a member and one ticket was for me always. She went into politics and our contact was lesser, except when she took a daring stand on the subject of Lord Rama: quote ” சிலரை போல், நான் இல்லை. எனக்கு ராமர் கடவுள்
5. அவர் எனக்கு எப்போதும் வேண்டும் “. This was a dig at BJP who had at that period were playing low key on RJB. I was just out of the leftist clutches and this took me by surprise. She was a member of the RS, by then. I wrote a letter , appreciating her and it was responded to
6. Promptly. MGR passed away , she was humiliated in the assembly and her firebrand in her came out in full steam. She became the chief minister , and yes , she did lose control , which was used very well by the Mannargudi family to the hilt , and she paid a heavy price ,finally her death. The secretariat of Tamil Nadu is still the hub of corruption and because of the service rules and thanks to late MK and his goons ,they literally controlled the voting pattern – with this being the back ground she had the guts , with a single signature dismissed a
8. A large number of them , irrespective of rank. Among the lot were even Deputy Secretaries in various departments including finance and home. Even today, that fear exists in them. I’m not ashamed to say I voted for her , twice, as I was away for the others; but then karma is such a bitch it caught up with her; in a way , it also ensured that the legacy of hers is intact , even though she was convicted. This will be the reason why R S Bharathi will face his doom. One helluva gutsy woman , a capable administrator, and she really held the leash tightly
In admiration, may you live in peace , the least one can pray for in your being among the celestials. #JJ_ASaga
Jayalalitha was gutsy and a good administrator, but one wrong friend just did her in. No wonder the saying goes “Show me your friends and I will show you who you are.”
The Bhagavad Gita has a very important verse in Chapter 6 – Verse 5. Link to the shloka – https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/6/verse/5
उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत् |
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मन: || 5||
uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet
ātmaiva hyātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ
Translation : Elevate yourself through the power of your mind, and not degrade yourself, for the mind can be the friend and also the enemy of the self.
An excerpt from an article in Asian Age explains Osho’s view on this beautifully – Mystic Mantra: Are you your friend or enemy?
“……Osho’s commentary on Bhagavad Gita. He asks a pertinent question, have you observed how your body and mind control your life? Your basic stress, the real schizophrenia is that your mind and body are not in tune with each other. For instance, while eating the body says: “It’s enough, stop it!” And the mind and the senses say: “It is so delicious, keep gobbling.”
Or the body wants to move and exercise and the mind wants to watch TV. Your mind accumulates tonnes of money, which, you know perfectly well, is unnecessary but you cannot control your mind. Really speaking the mind should be your servant and you should be the master, but you, the owner, has to follow the servant. In this struggle sometimes the body wins, and at other times the mind, but the master always loses.”
Just wish we all have the sense to be the master of our mind and body rather than a servant…. one wrong friend is all it takes !