Life and times of Jayalalithaa

Here is a brief timeline on life, works, achievements and controversies surrounding Jayalalithaa

Chennai, Dec 5: The whole of Tamil Nadu came to a standstill after Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa suffered a cardiac arrest on Sunday.

Hundreds of her supporters lined up in front of Apollo Hospitals, where the Chief Minister is undergoing treatment since September, to pray for her early recovery.

The security measures have been beefed up across the state to avoid any untoward incident.

Here is a brief timeline on life, works, achievements and controversies surrounding Jayalalithaa:

Birthday: February 24, 1948: She was born in Melukote town in Mysuru district, Karnataka. Her parents' names were Vedavalli and Jayaraman.

She was born in an orthodox Brahmin family. Jayalalithaa's family named her Komalavalli, which she later changed to Jayalalithaa after joining the film industry.

Film career as a child actress: She started her filmi career as a child actress in 1961.

In fact, she made her debut with an English movie, Epistle. As a child artist, she worked in English, Kannada and Hindi films.

From child actor to lead star: At the age of 15, she worked in her first film as a lead actress in the Kannada movie--'Chinnada Gombe' (golden doll).

When Jaya met MGR: In 1965, Jaya worked in her first Tamil film, 'Vennira Aadai' (white dress).

The film was a major blockbuster.

After that, in the same year, she worked opposite MG Ramachandran (MGR), the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and her future political mentor.

They worked together for more than two decades, both in films and political arenas, before he died in 1987.

Jaya says goodbye to films: In 1980, she acted in her last Tamil movie, Nadhiyai Thedi Vandha Kadal (Where ocean seeks a river).

She left her filmi career to join politics. Jayalalithaa has acted in 300-odd films in various languages.

Entry into politics and growing distance between Jaya and MGR: She joined politics as an AIADMK party member in 1982.

Like her career in films, her debut in politics was also a hit. With her very first public speech, Jayalalithaa impressed everyone.

She became a Rajya Sabha member in 1989. In the same year, MGR suffered a stroke and was hospitalized in the US.

In fact, in his absence, Jaya approached the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to make her the CM.

The rift between them was out in the open. The AIADMK supremo stripped her from several party posts.

However, when the elections were held in the same year, Jayalalithaa played a major role in helping the AIADMK win both the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.

Lull in Jaya's political life: After MGR died in 1987, his wife Janaki became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1988.

The party broke into two groups--one headed by Janaki and the second by Jaya.

Jaya was sidelined for the time being. However, Janaki's rule lasted for just 21 days. Thereafter, President's rule was imposed in Tamil Nadu.

Her dominance starts in AIADMK: In 1989, due to factional wars, the AIADMK lost the elections to the DMK.

However, later on, Janaki decided to quit the party and Jayalalithaa became the head of the AIADMK.

Debut as the Chief Minister: In 1991, Jaya became the Chief Minister of the state for the first time after the AIADMK-Congress alliance badly defeated the DMK.

During her rule, the Chief Minister was involved in several corruption cases, which dented the party's reputation.

Her defeat and jail term: In 1996, her party was routed by the DMK.

In the same year, Jayalalithaa was arrested in a corruption case and was sent to jail for a month.

Jaya makes her comeback: In 2001, the AIADMK under Jayalalithaa's leadership won the elections.

However, she did not contest the elections as her name figured in 12 pending corruption-related cases.

But still, she became the Chief Minister. However, because of a Supreme Court ruling, she had to step down from the post.

In 2003, after the Madras High Court cleared Jaya's name from few cases, she again contested the election and became the Chief Minister.

One more defeat: In 2006, Amma, as she is popularly known to her supporters, lost the elections to the DMK.

Third time lucky: Jayalalithaa became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the third time in 2011.

Court cases haunt Jaya: In 2014, she was convicted in the disproportionate assets case.

After spending a month in prison, she got bail. In her absence, O Paneerselvam was the state's CM.

Cleared of charges: In 2015, Amma's name got cleared from a disproportionate assets case.

Queen of victories: In 2016, the AIADMK once again won the elections under her leadership.

Health hazard: On September 22, 2016, Jayalalithaa was admitted in Apollo Hospitals, Chennai.

The hospital sources said she was being treated for fever and dehydration.

Almost a month later, the AIADMK issued a statement saying she was recovering and would soon join her office duty.

However, on December 4, 2016, she suffered a cardiac arrest. She died on December 5, 2016.

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