CHO - Courage; Humour; Outstanding intelligence

Sri. Cho Ramaswamy or simply "Cho", a person whom I have admired all my life passed away today. As Tamil Nadu is slowly limping back to normalcy after Ms. Jayalalitha's loss, here came one more shock! It is not that all are expected to live forever, but TN seems to be losing all its intelligent people in a hurry :(

Well, Cho was a friend and guide to Ms. Jayalalitha. No wonder they had similar traits.

Cho to me was what I have outlined in the title.

He was multi faceted - as can be seen from the roles that he had don. A lawyer, playwright, actor, thespian, director, editor, political analyst, author, spiritualist and what not - I am very sure, my list is not complete! He was just a man of extra ordinary intelligence.

Some of his notable literary / theatre works (I have read / seen) are - "Unmaye un vilai enna", "Muhammad-bin-Thuglaq", "Engae Brahmanan", "Mahabharatham Pesugiradhu", "Saraswathiyin Sabatham" - it was just amazing that he could pick up genres ranging from out and out comedy to politics to history to deeply spiritual topics and just produce an impeccable epic!

His political acumen was mind blowing (I am just running out of adjectives). He had a very clear perspective on all national and international issues - be it political, economical, spiritual, art affairs - and he never shied away from writing what he thought. He would easily be the most ethical journalist that could have walked this earth. He was friends with everybody and earned their respect but he was an equally harsh critic - whoever it was. No bias! No nonsense! He took it upon himself to correct what he thought was wrong - 2 events that stood out - 1991 efforts to dissolve the DMK government (law and order) and 1996 efforts to oust the ADMK government (corruption).

But there was an element of humour in everything that he said and wrote - It was the intelligence in the humour that makes it even more enjoyable. He was an exponent of quick quips & on the fly responses. His responses to readers' questions in Thuglaq or his addresses in Thuglaq anniversaries or his responses in interviews - all are special!! It was this humour that made everybody admire and respect him all the more!!

I will miss you sir! But after today, heaven would be an even more enjoyable place!

Jayalalitha - A Phenomena!

I haven't written a blog for years now. But I thought I will write one as a tribute for the leader, who I adore the most!

A winner in whatever she did - "Amma" & " Puratchi Thalaivi" - as she will be fondly remembered, J. Jayalalitha will be a name that will forever be etched in Tamil & Indian, political & cinema history.

She possessed immense artistic talents not just in acting and dance but also in music. Her oratorical skills are unquestionable handling Tamil and English with ease - be it addressing the masses, campaigning for elections or addressing the press or discussing with national leaders - she came up trumps!

Woman of phenomenal grit and courage, she had an impeccable maturity in understanding issues. This made her an astute and bold decision maker. She had her perspective on all issues - simple or complex - and she stood by her views, come what may!

Of course, she had her downs. The depths to which she fell at times (like 1996 elections when she lost in Bargur and ADMK won just 4 seats, the cases against her & disqualifications) would have made normal people lose their lives. But the tenacity and resolve with which she rose from all those adversities will be a lesson for all. I used to wonder if phoenixes were modeled after her! Some of her decisions may have backfired and her mistakes may have been very costly - that is when I remembered she was human!!

She was the darling of masses. Her every scheme would be targeted towards people - her perennial allies. Her caption had always been "Makkalaal naan. Makkalukkaaga naan!". So true, that the people of Tamil Nadu made her their Chief Minster 6 times which included a repeat mandate this year - a feat only MGR managed after Dravidian parties started ruling TN. The charisma she had was comparable to MGR's proving her to be a worthy successor.

Her death is a monumental loss to the country. TN will surely miss her strong leadership who would leave no stone unturned for the state's benefit and when it comes to law and order, there is hardly any other leader who dares to take steps the way she does! The center will miss her perspective on important decisions.

Given the fighter (and winner) she was, I am still coming to terms with the fact that she is no more. Her adversaries were aplenty - just that "death" had joined the list!

Jayalalitha is an irreplaceable icon ! A phenomena ! Only death could defeat her. Did it, really??