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Indians mourn as iconic actress turned politician Jayalalithaa dies

RIP.

Manish Singh

on December 6, 2016

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The death of iconic politician Jayalalithaa Jayaram late last night has left millions of her supporters struggling to hold tears.

Such was the adoration that Jayalalithaa, more popularly referred as Amma, or mother, instilled that saw her elected as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu five times.

Jayalalithaa died at 11.30 p.m. late Monday after she failed to recover from cardiac arrest. She was recovering from a monthlong illness in the hospital and the status of her health development was kept confidential until the very end. She was 68 years old.

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"Jayalalithaa ji’s connect with citizens, concern for welfare of the poor, the women and marginalised will always be a source of inspiration," India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted after learning the news.

The daughter of a Tamil actress, Jayalalithaa first came into spotlight as an actress herself. She appeared, often as the lead, in over 140 movies before turning her attention to politics in 1980s.

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

She first became the Chief Minister of the Southern India state in 1991 after managing to build a huge public following and funding major projects for the wellbeing of the poorer citizens. Many of the products that were sold in those projects, in a strikingly odd move, had her name or picture attached to them.

Though she was jailed twice over the years for involvement in corrupt activities, there is a sense among millions of her followers that Jayalalithaa did a lot for poor citizens in her state. She introduced subsidized canteens, for instance, that were called Amma Canteens. Meals were provided for as low as one rupee (15 cents).

Over the years we also saw things like Amma Bottled Water, Amma Pharmacies, and even Amma cinema theaters. She also distributed laptops and home products to people for free.

The Tamil Nadu state government has announced three days of holiday in remembrance of the leader. It is particularly important in the wake of possible violence in the streets. On Monday, police personnel from various districts were deployed in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, for security. Fewer people showed up in schools and colleges, with parents fearing to send their kids amid fear of possible disturbance.

Following are some reactions from people that capture the position Jayalalithaa held for them, and for the country.