Toronto's Tamils mourn death of Jayalalithaa

The 68-year-old southern political leader, who was named by her supporters as the beloved ‘Amma’, meaning mother,  died on Monday at a hospital in Chennai.

Seven days of mourning has been declared by the Tamil Nadu State government following the death of the former Chief Minister of the state.

Jayalalithaa was remembered as an inspiration to women and champion of the poor by about 300,000 Tamils living in Canada with their ancestral home in Tamil Nadu.

"I would describe her as the personification of a brilliant mind, a woman of strength and resilience," said Gita Shankaran, a founder of Toronto's Madras Arts and Cultural Association.

Jayaram’s success in India's male-controlled political system of 71 million people for nearly 14 years was a source of motivation to her, said Shankaran.

Raveena Rajasingham, a director with the Canadian Tamil Congress stated, "As a woman, I look up to her with great encouragement and motivation."

She called Jayalalithaa "a great role model … a woman with a lot of power, a woman who could achieve what she had in her mind."

Jayalalithaa had  initially made her appearance in the public at the age of 13 as an actress in the Tamil film industry and grew up to be the main character in romance.

In early 1980s she switched her career to politics.

She became Tamil Nadu's chief minister in 1991 and held this position for five terms, including at the time of her death, after corruption charges were cleared by an Indian court.

During her time in office,she was known for her donations to the poor including laptops, household goods and food.

Some of these donated items were branded with her nickname, Amma.

"And that is how the poor of today see her, as Amma, as their mother," Shankaran said.

Toronto's Tamil community was planning a public vigil, but the time or location has not yet been finalised.

(Reported by Asha Bajaj)