Tamil Nadu’s popular and all-powerful Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa passed away at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai on Monday.
Chennai-based journalist Vaasanthi had been tracking the AIADMK supremo for years. Her first attempt at writing the 68-year-old leader’s biography hit a judicial hurdle in 2011 as the book got banned. Vaasanthi was recently back with Amma: Jayalalithaa’s journey from Movie Star to Political Queen.
In this interview conducted during Jaylalithaa’s two-month hospitalisation, Vaasanthi speaks to CNN News18’s Poornima Murali on Jayalalithaa’s persona and her struggle to know more about the reclusive ‘Amma’.
Biographies, especially political biographies, almost always end up as hagiographies in India. Will ‘Amma’ be any different?
Biography becomes hagiography when you feel obliged to the person you are writing about. That happens when you meet the person, interview and tell the person that you are going to write a book on that person. Then you feel there is a kind of a commitment to always say nice words about the person. I wanted to avoid that and I didn’t want to see her before writing the book. I have met her once in 1984 and I have watched her for about 10 years when I was the editor of India Today, Tamil edition. I knew her, I kind of marvelled at her, the way she behaved and she was full of surprises and some of her actions are shocking and unbelievable. Then, I gathered a lot of information from her close friends and other politicians.
Why Jayalalithaa? What about her really fascinated you?
I didn’t do it on my own, it wasn’t my venture. It was Penguin that asked me to write a biography on her and I hesitated. I didn’t want to do it because I knew that she was a very complex person and she doesn’t trust the media. I knew she wouldn’t want to meet me or she wouldn’t even allow me to write if I ask her. I was so hesitant because it was so difficult to get news about her. As journalists, we used to break our heads to get quotes from officials or administers during an important occasion or crisis. We weren’t able to do that. We couldn’t get a single quote from anyone who worked in her government. And she, of course, didn’t open her doors to any journalist. It was easy to meet Karunanidhi but not Jayalalithaa. I was very hesitant and I knew she wasn’t very tolerant of any criticism. I couldn’t write just praising her. So it had to be an honest, balanced view of her profile. So I hesitated to even accept this suggestion by Penguin. But they kept on persuading me and I finally succumbed to their request.
Your book was all set for release by Penguin in 2011 but it was banned. Now it has finally hit the stores. What changed in five years? Did you have to make alterations or cut out a few portions to ensure it saw the light of the day?
Writing about her never crossed my mind. But Juggernaut came to me with a request for a short biography that is a new book. They wanted a new book; it was not the old one at all. They just said a new book about less than 30,000 words that will be suitable for phone apps. Reading on a mobile phone is faster and easier and it doesn’t take much of your time. I then consulted my lawyer on whether I could accept because the original book has a permanent injunction from the court. My legal adviser gave me a go ahead and that is how I came to write on this book, which is a short version. The book is just a smaller version and kind of highlights the positive aspects. Many of the things from the big book are not here but I suppose it says enough of Jaya’s persona.
Is this book a combination of secondary sources and research available online? Have you met people who know her?
I have met a number of people. First, I was very frustrated because I couldn’t get hold of her classmates and friends because she moved away from them all. I was about to tell Penguin I’m not going to write this book. But a friend of mine gave me a tip: the number of a source. So I got hold of them, through close friends of hers. They gave me a lot of insight into her younger days, which was very revealing of her character and the way she shaped later on. I met a number of her political opponents and her admirers. So it was a long journey. I took two years to write this book.
One leaping anomaly here is that the closest person to Amma, Sasikala is missing from your book. Why so?
I haven’t missed much. I personally never believed all these kinds of tales her opponents spread about her relationship with Sasikala. I have written about Sasikala but not in great detail. I feel Sasikala is as enigmatic as Amma is. She has not spoken a single word to any journalist. She has been very discreet. I suppose this is her quality that Jayalalithaa likes about her. People say Sasikala sits even in the official meetings that Jayalalithaa has in the house but I don’t know how much of it is true. Sasikala has shown that she is very loyal. Because of her closeness to Jayalalithaa, partymen who are not able to approach Jaya feel that all the hurdles are because of Sasikala. They feel Sasikala is behind everything. One will never come to know what the truth is.
Have you observed Jaya as a single-woman navigating the ruthlessly male-dominated political landscape in India? I mean, how would you compare her political journey as compared to a Mayawati or a Mamata Banerjee, or even an Indira Gandhi?
Jayalalithaa came from a film background. For a woman to be a film actress was looked down upon by the general public. She came from a Brahmin family. It is amazing how she became the head of the Dravidian party. It is a conventional society in the South and very sexist. Mamata doesn’t have to face that kind of an atmosphere in Bengal. She could speak freely to men and have discussion with her ministers in the open which Jayalalithaa can’t do. In Tamil Nadu, it will be taken amiss. If you take Indira Gandhi, both of them were courageous but they are totally different. Indira Gandhi had a pedigree support but Jayalalithaa came with no political pedigree to boast of. She came up on her own whereas Indira Gandhi was made the Prime Minister. You can’t compare the two.
You have made some observations about how Indira admired Jayalalithaa when she was an MP. Can you elaborate?
Jayalalithaa was fresh, pretty, sophisticated and spoke impeccable English. Her maiden speech in the Parliament was well appreciated by the likes of Khushwant Singh. Even Indira Gandhi was impressed by her presence in Parliament and the way she stood up for issues.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this interview are the personal opinions of the interviewee, and News18.com does not warrant its accuracy. The facts and opinions expressed in the interview do not reflect the views of News18.com and are solely attributable to the interviewee. News18.com does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
Comments
0 comment