OOTY: As the state is gearing up to observe the first death anniversary of late chief minister J.Jayalalithaa on Tuesday, residents and party cadre here in Nilgiris recall how the hill district was always a second home for 'Amma'.
When she was leader of the opposition, she visited a Badaga temple in 2008. She was then camping in the Kodanad estate in the summer of 2008 and visited the Sri Ranganathar temple in Sundati Halamali hamlet near there on May 19 that year to take part in its festival.
On entering the temple premises, she readily wore the Badaga traditional attire and offered prayers. When she came out and saw the Badaga dance being staged by Badaga folks there, she astonished everyone by beginning to gracefully dance along with them to Badaga tunes. She danced long enough for a song, shook hands with the women there and then left the temple.
Mr K. R. Arjunan, now the Nilgiris district secretary of the AIADMK and Rajya Sabha MP, who was also part of the dance troupe then, said that the temple visit showcased how spiritual Ms. Jayalalithaa was and her respect for traditional Badaga culture.
In 2007, Jaya’s roar from Ooty rocked DMK, UPA govts
Though it is difficult to trace the events that led to the then AIADMK supremo, Jayalalithaa herself leading a protest rally against the DMK, events in Ooty in 2007 appear to have presaged this.
As leader of the opposition, she was camping in Kodanad in September 2007, after she had driven to Ooty on September 26 morning to lead the demonstration organised by the AIADMK, demanding dismissal of the DMK government then led by Mr. M. Karunanidhi, for his alleged remarks on Lord Ram and thereby violating the Constitution by hurting the sentiments of Hindus. The controversy then was over the Sethu Samudram project.
Jayalalithaa had made a scathing attack on the DMK which was well received with thundering applause from the huge gathering. She raised slogans against the ruling DMK and its leadership, which were repeated by party cadre. She chose the platform from Nilgiris to rock the DMK and central UPA governments then.
