The Jaya we never knew: ‘She wanted to quit politics in 2015, retire in seclusion’

Speaking to the media for the first time ever, Rajam Ammal, Jayalalithaa’s cook of 40 years talks of how she was always treated as a family member by former chief minister J Jayalalithaa. 

Along with details from Prabha Sivakumar and her son Karthik, the first episode of the Thanthi TV documentary J Jayalalithaa Enum Naan reveals Jayalalithaa’s ‘dream’ of retiring to a secluded house on a hill station. “She just wanted to lounge in an easy chair and chew betel leaves. She was happiest at the Kodanad estate, where she would enjoy her time boating, sight-seeing, driving the car, and even making tea for everyone. In fact, she was a master Antakshari player and would always win!”

According to people who knew her well, the turning point in J Jayalalithaa’s life that left her a broken person was her conviction in the disproportionate assets case in September 2014, that saw her spend 21 days at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru before being granted conditional bail, reveals

Those who resided with her at Veda Nilayam remember that the former CM came back to Chennai ‘depressed’ and consequently underwent several changes mentally and physically.

“She was fully expecting to be exonerated. It came as a massive shock to her, but she made us promise that we wouldn’t press for her release on grounds of her health,” said her family physician, Dr Sivakumar.

Jayalalithaa refused to see a single person during that period; the only thing she asked for was a copy of C Rajagopalachari’s Mahabharata, which she pored through during her incarceration.

After returning to Chennai, she used to talk about the conviction as a blemish in her career. “When she was acquitted in 2015, she wanted to quit politics for good, but it was only my aunt who persuaded her to continue,” says Sasikala’s niece Prabha, wife of Dr Sivakumar, who also stayed at Veda Nilayam.

There is also a throwback to her early days as a precocious youngster when she discussed topics well beyond her years, as reminisced by her cousins Amitha Chari and Anuradha Ramesh. Jayalalithaa did not seek the life of an actor or politician in the public eye, but desired to be a lawyer or academician, they added. “But circumstances played out differently. We lost touch with her for many years. When news of her death broke, we saw the footage of her funeral on the news... there she was lying like an orphan. Our relationship had its ups and down, but having been bound by blood, it was devastating.”

Ultimately, her untimely demise resulted in Amma never realising what she really craved for all her life – a sense of peace.

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The documentary delves into titbits from the life of Jayalalithaa: her first words after treatment at Apollo Hospitals, the moment she wept at the altar in the Ranganathan temple in Srirangam, her talent in mimicry where she jokingly imitated Kalaignar Karunanidhi, the happenings over a lunch she hosted for Prime Minister Modi, and her eating habits are discussed with interesting anecdotes in this episode.