Tamil Nadu is under total lockdown. The towering steel gate of a swanky bungalow on Habibullah Road in Chennai’s T. Nagar is closed. A security guard checks my name against a list and lets me in. An assistant calls the lady of the house on the intercom and informs her about my arrival. On cue, the wooden door opens, and I am ushered in. Portraits of former chief ministers M.G. Ramachandran and J. Jayalalithaa adorn the walls of the small visitors’ room. I take a seat on the long, brown sofa, and in no time, a steaming mug of strong filter coffee is served.
As I set the empty mug down on the glass coffee table, in comes V.K. Sasikala, clad in an all-grey salwar suit. “Vanakkam (greetings),” she says, her hands folded. Even though the mask covers her smile, I can see it in her eyes. Sasikala was Jayalalithaa’s confidante, staying by her side in politics and life. Their friendship weathered many a storm. Everyone thought that she would fade into oblivion post the developments following Jayalalithaa’s death on December 5, 2016, including her 2017 conviction in a disproportionate assets case.
On her release from the Bengaluru prison this January, she had announced a step back from politics. But now, Sasikala, who has been well-versed with the internal politics of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) for more than 33 years, is set to make a comeback—all to keep her friend’s legacy alive. And, it is to document this friendship between the two—once the most powerful women in Tamil Nadu politics—that I have been waiting to meet Sasikala for years.
Bu hikaye THE WEEK dergisinin July 18, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye THE WEEK dergisinin July 18, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
