Jayalalithaa dead: Her legendary appeal drove her followers to self-immolation, amputation

In 2004, R Rathinam, a head constable in the Tamil Nadu Police cut three fingers of his left hand and offered them in the hundi at a temple in his native Salem district. Rathinam did that in the belief that the sacrifice will bring victory to J Jayalalithaa’s (her name is sometimes spelled Jayalalitha) AIADMK in the Lok Sabha elections that year and win 40 out of 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. That did not happen. But Rathinam’s act caught Jayalalithaa’s eye. She had him admitted to Apollo Hospitals for 27 days and took care of his treatment. But she was not amused by what Rathinam did. [caption id=“attachment_3142174” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] R Rathinam, who offered three fingers from his left hand at a temple in exchange for the AIADMK’s success in the 2014 General Election. Firstpost/TS Sudhir[/caption] “Being in the police service, you should not have done this. This time I forgive you but you should not do this ever again,” she told Rathinam. But that was hardly a deterrent. On 27 September, 2016, five days after Jayalalithaa was admitted to hospital, Rathinam went on an emotional trajectory yet again. Now retired, the 68-year-old immolated himself in front of Salem collectorate after shouting ‘Long Live Amma’. He was saved just in the nick of time. Rathinam breaks down, recounting the days when he was in charge of the security detail when MG Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa were shooting for the Tamil film Adimen Penn. “I used to be a Sivaji Ganesan fan but after seeing the two act, I became their fan for life,” says Rathinam — a pointer to the role Kollywood has played in building political careers. It is tough to explain this kind of irrational behaviour where grown-up men and women harm themselves for the sake of a relationship. It is based only on the connect they feel with the person — a connect that is based primarily on what they feel for the leader, floored by what they perceive she has done for them. Over the years, Jayalalithaa has gained from the very pro-poor welfare agenda she crafted. At a psychological level, this is also because of the ‘queen/king and subject’ relationship that leaders like Jayalalithaa developed with the people of Tamil Nadu. Where the people and her admirers in particularly felt obligated that they had Jayalalithaa as their “kind patron” and someone who would look after them. This, despite having zero access to her but even a glimpse would send them into raptures. They would chase Jaya TV reporters to give interviews, fawning over Amma in the hope that she would catch them on TV. AIADMK is a party whose cornerstone is servility and absolute unquestioned love and affection for the supreme leader. Over the years, its leaders have also converted it into an act, realising that it works. It has contributed to the cult-building around Amma. Which is why leaders tried to outdo in organising mega prayer functions, with men, women and even children piercing their tongues as a way of subjecting themselves to pain for the sake of their leader. Take for instance karate instructor Shihan Hussaini, who crucified himself on a cross in 2014 after Jayalalithaa was sent to prison in Bengaluru in the Disproportionate Assets case. Hussaini had made a portrait of Jaya using his frozen blood in 2013 to mark her birthday. [caption id=“attachment_3142186” align=“alignnone” width=“824”] Shihan Hussaini, who crucified himself on a cross in 2014 after Jayalalithaa was sent to prison in Bengaluru. Firstpost/TS Sudhir[/caption] Again an act that did not go down well with Jayalalithaa. But the fact that such sycophantic gimmicks helped get an audience with the supreme leader became an incentive for many more to indulge in extreme behaviour. Travel to any AIADMK functionary’s home and you will certainly find Jayalalithaa’s photograph kept alongside portraits of deities. All male activists and leaders carry her photograph in their shirt pocket. At the Rajaji Hall in Chennai where Jayalalithaa’s body was kept for people to pay homage, I meet Ponnusamy from Virrudhunagar in south Tamil Nadu. He wears two oversized rings on his fingers, one with a picture of MGR and the other carrying a picture of Jayalalithaa. That has earned him the name of Modram (ring) Ponnusamy. It is clear that the likes of O Panneerselvam and Sasikala who will control the government and party are stepping into oversized shoes.