IT training the week india TruePDF 31 march 2019

TATA MEANS BUSINESS: N. CHANDRASEKARAN’S CORE FOCUS ALLIANCE PAINS
JOURNALISM WITH A HUMAN TOUCH

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WHY SOME PARTIES
CAN’T TANGO WITH
MODI OR RAHUL

MARCH 31, 2019

H.D. KUMARASWAMY
REGIONAL PARTIES
THRIVE ON FAMILIES
THAT RUN THEM

E

X

C

L

U

HOW
DID
JAYA
DIE?

THE WEEK accesses
confidential documents
to piece together the
untold story of the final
weeks of her life

S

I

V

E



LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

PTI

JAYALALITHAA, the politician, and THE WEEK
were born around the same time. She joined the
AIADMK in June 1982 by formally paying a rupee,
and delivered her first political speech in Cuddalore. The opposition had a derisive name for her

debut performance: “The Cuddalore cabaret”. In
December that year, the first issue of THE WEEK
rolled off the press. Cover price: 01.50.
When she died in December 2016, an online
quarterly magazine named Antiserious had put
out some interesting excerpts. The portal said that
these were from a cover story that had appeared in
the now defunct Sunday magazine. The headline:
“MGR nominates an heir”. The writer? Anita Pratap,
currently THE WEEK’s consulting editor. THE
WEEK’s first cover on the former Tamil Nadu chief
minister was in 1984, I think—“Jayalalitha: Lady
behind the throne” by Bhagwan R. Singh.
The only time I met Jayalalithaa was when the

FINAL WAVE

Jayalalithaa flagging off
the Metro Rail service
between Airport and Little
Mount in Chennai through
video conference. This was
her last official event

Press Trust of India’s director board met her
in Chennai. She was at her charming best and
wowed all the directors. I was pleasantly surprised, I must admit.
The cover story this week is special because I
have followed Jayalalithaa’s career keenly, and the
circumstances of her death had made me wonder

about her last days. Now we have an answer, and I
am most glad to share it with you, dear reader. The
cover story is based on information gleaned from
confidential documents. It takes you to Jayalalithaa’s bedside, and through the ups, downs and
tough decisions of her final days.
Being a family man, I cannot even begin to
comprehend the loneliness that surrounded Jayalalithaa. I think everyone feels all the more lonely
when they are ill. So, how would Jayalalithaa have
felt? Did the actor in her enable her to mask it so
skilfully?
In the current issue, there is a story on filmmaker Ritesh Batra (Lunchbox, Photograph). He
makes an interesting observation about portraying loneliness/longing in cinema: “Being lonely
means nothing. The best actor in the world would
not be able to play lonely. You cannot ask the
actors to sit and be lonely. But, longing [can be
worked]—something they don’t have, or wanting
something, or be somebody else, that is pretty
universal.” Universal? Perhaps, yes. But some
longings are heavier than others, I feel. And, for
some, it becomes a habit.
A Jaya anecdote that has stayed with me is of
her as a schoolgirl. She and her brother used to be
alone at home while their actor mother, Vedavalli, worked. Jaya was an exceptional student.
One day, she was praised in class for an essay
she wrote. For three days, she sat up late into the
night, wanting to read the essay out to Vedavalli.
On the fourth day, the mother came back late at
night to find the child asleep in the living room,
with a notebook clutched to her chest. The essay
was titled—My mother, and what she means to

me. The irony!
As Tamil Nadu goes to battle in the upcoming
Lok Sabha polls, two captains will be missed. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi. While M.K. Stalin
has stepped into his father’s shoes, a battle royale
is being waged to claim Jayalalithaa’s political
legacy.
Some people continue to make news long after
they are gone.

MARCH 31, 2019 • THE WEEK 3


VOL. 37 NO. 13 THE WEEK MARCH 31 2019

FOR THE WEEK MARCH 25 - MARCH 31

GOA
Despite being a swayamsevak,
Manohar Parikkar never
allowed the RSS ideology to
weigh him down in politics

63

AFP

54

SANJOY GHOSH

PTI

46

BUSINESS
Tata Sons chairman
N. Chandrasekaran is looking
to simplify the group structure
to bring companies closer

20 COVER STORY

@LEISURE
Filmmaker Ritesh Batra
and the knack of telling
stories of ordinary people in
extraordinary situations

COLUMNS
13 POWER POINT
Sachidananda Murthy

62 SCHIZO-NATION
Anuja Chauhan

14 IVORY TOWER
Sanjaya Baru

67 EVERYONE IS A CAMERA
Bose Krishnamachari

36 MANI-FESTO
Mani Shankar Aiyar

74 LAST WORD
Sanjay Manjrekar

58 The Week Connect: The biggest takeaways from

THE WEEK CONNECT’s symposium on sustainable
and safe use of chemicals and petrochemicals

PTI

37 Alliances: Parties

look to firm up their
alliances before the
Lok Sabha elections

LASTING LEGACY
AIADMK leaders O. Panneerselvam and Chief Minister Edappadi
K. Palaniswami pay tribute to J. Jayalalithaa on her birth anniversary

DEATH NOTES
The details of former Tamil Nadu chief minister
J. Jayalalithaa’s last days have been shrouded in mystery.
THE WEEK uncovers the untold story of a long-drawn and
complex battle to save her life, and how it ultimately failed
Plus

l

The investigation into Jayalalithaa’s death is bogged down
in a perception battle

4 THE WEEK • MARCH 31, 2019

l

Interview: BJP’s
publicity campaign has
reached a saturation

point, says Karnataka
Chief Minister H.D.
Kumaraswamy
l

Interview: Dalits are
offended like never
before, says Jignesh
Mevani, politician

COVER DIGITAL PAINTING: BINESH SREEDHARAN
Printed at Malayala Manorama Press, Kottayam, Print House India Pvt Ltd, Mumbai,
M P Printers, Noida, and Rajhans Enterprises, Bengaluru, and published from
Manorama Buildings, Panampilly Nagar, Kochi-682 036, by Jacob Mathew, on behalf
of the Malayala Manorama Co.Ltd., Kottayam-686 001. Editor Philip Mathew
• Focus/Infocus features are marketing/PR initiatives

K



LETTERS

MARCH 17, 2019

E X C L U S I V E LIFE ON THE EDGE: REPORT FROM INDO-PAK BORDER
JOURNALISM WITH A HUMAN TOUCH

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MARCH 17, 2019

THE VIRUS
WARRIORS

GAMING
IS PUBG HARMING
OUR CHILDREN?

INDIA’S PRIME CONSTITUENCY

VARANASI
Prime Minister Modi’s strategy in Kashi
could be the blueprint for the BJP’s Lok Sabha campaign
PLUS

JAYAPUR, THE VILLAGE ADOPTED BY MODI

Varanasi for Modi
The naturally fluent and lucid sketching of Varanasi by
Mathew T. George was simply incredible (‘Primed for
polls’, March 17). Someone who goes through the story
gets a flavour of Varanasi. In Varanasi, they say, all occasions are celebrated, and all national losses are mourned.
The Kashi Vishwanath corridor project is getting a mixed
reaction. Some perceive it as foundation stone being laid
to modernise the city, keeping intact its ancient values.
While others believe it will pave the way for big players to
venture into Varanasi and start their innings at the cost of
traditional shopkeepers.
Majority in Varanasi want Modi to remain the MP, as no
other leader can match his stature. It is a matter of pride
for every Banarasi to see their MP leading the country as
prime minister.
Jaideep Mittra

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
During the 2014 Lok Sabha
polls, the prime minister promised more than
what he could achieve. He
promised the moon to the
voters, and brought hopes
to his own constituency

in Varanasi. The achievements and shortfalls on the
ground, across India, and
in Varanasi, are for all to
see. There are both hits and
misses in Varanasi, though
it was given extra focus.

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How nice it would have
been if the prime minister
had taken India as a whole
as his constituency and
developed it on the same
footing as he did in Varanasi. How nice it would have

been if every MP in the
country toed Modi’s line.
Varanasi will not change for
better, so very soon.
M.Y. Shariff,
On email.
I congratulate THE WEEK
for beautifully covering
every aspect of developmental activities being
carried out in Varanasi, on
civil as well as social fronts,
under Modi, the dashing
prime minister of India.
You have nicely presented the diverse views of
persons who are affected
by such developmental
activities.
As an individual who was
born and brought up in
Varanasi, I am amazed
to see the fast and quick
development activities,
particularly in the old city.
The perception of some
people that it is not good
to demolish some of the
oldest neighbourhoods
in Varanasi is because
they cannot visualise such
development in a city

where all civil amenities are
overloaded. Finally, as it is
said, when you progress,
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Modi’s candidature for
the forthcoming general
elections from Varanasi is
a mere formality. He will
win hands down this time,
too. The outsider tag did
not hinder him in 2014
and it is not going to play
a major role in 2019, as he
has endeared himself to
the electorate admirably.
A number of projects have

also been launched in
Varanasi and this will help
Modi when he seeks a second term from Varanasi.
C.V. Aravind,
On email.
Even though a subtle
attempt was made in the
cover story to pick and
choose the fault lines in
Modi’s projects in Varanasi, the report was quite
exhaustive. Modi has performed exceedingly well.
But, the moot question is
whether Modi, the prime
minister, showed over-indulgence to a particular
constituency where he has
selfish interests?
Raveendranath A.,
On email.
Your cover story was well
written. But a hidden sarcastic tinge has spoiled its

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Vinay Kumar Srivastava,
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LETTERS

taste. It needs to be taken
into account that the
reporter has come across
only those who are disgruntled and affected due
to development activities
in Varanasi.
We should not forget that
when one’s misfortune
brings in benefits to a
larger community, it is
considered as a sacrifice
for a greater good.
Amal Mandal,
On email.

To be taken
seriously
Villagers along the LoC
are always on edge when
Pakistan begins shelling the border. This is
nothing new. But, we
need to think of ways
to tackle the problem
(‘Shelled, shocked’, March
17). The government
should continue to build

bunkers for the residents
and ensure that there are
no casualties. Even the
slightest provocation from
the Pakistani side should
be taken seriously and all
precautionary measures
need to be taken. Ideally,
there should not be any
settlement in the border
areas. But, I am not sure
whether such a thing is
practical.
Anjana Unni,
On email.

Well expressed
Anuja Chauhan’s column
made a good read. She
has expressed her views
well (‘Schizo-nation’,
March 17). The strain
one feels surrounded by
these hypnotised bhakts
is so true. I am sure our
8 THE WEEK • MARCH 31, 2019

respected freedom fighters must be rolling in their
graves.
Dhany Anna Kurian,

On email.
I do not agree with Chauhan.
Can she show me any Indian
(from the majority or the
minority communities) who
is feeling the kind of fear that
she has mentioned in her
column? The only fear is in
the minds of the terrorists
and the Pakistani army.
I feel if someone is asking for
proof on the Balakot airstrike,
then he or she must not only
be treated like anti-national
but also be deported from
the country.
Madam, our intelligence
agencies work day and night
to make sure that you sleep
peacefully inside your home.
We are intelligent enough to
understand who we should
choose as our next prime
minister. We do not need
your advice.
S.N.H. Pandit,
On email.

Realise the problems
Online and video games

were always there; but the
kind of pleasure young
people get from such games
is not a pleasing sight (‘Hand
held snare’, March 17).
The availability of mobile
devices, along with cheap
4G data, has helped such
online games reach all young
people.
Everyone talks about mobile
addiction causing lots of
problems. But there is nothing being done to stop it and
channelise such energy and
enthusiasm elsewhere.
Tapesh Nagpal,
On email.

Editor
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MUMBAI

CHENNAI

BENGALURU
NEW DELHI

George Jacob



10 THE WEEK • MARCH 31, 2019


APERITIF
THE BIG PICTURE

‘JUNK’FOOD
FOR THOUGHT
An art collective in
Gurugram has come up
with a unique show to
educate people about

the hazards of mindless
consumption of plastic
items. The show’s
biggest installation is
The Toxic Chamber, a
‘cave’ made of plastic
trash where visitors
can ponder over their
carbon footprint.

PHOTO BY AAYUSH GOEL
MARCH 31, 2019 • THE WEEK 11


APERITIF

POINT BLANK

MILESTONES
l THE

I have always maintained that
you can spin the ball into the
batsman or out of the batsman.
You cannot do anything more
than that. I am just adding
more ammunition to my skill
and try and add more strength
to my game and that’s all it has
been.

PERFECT CHIP
Indian golfer Diksha Dagar, 18,
became the second Indian woman
to win the Ladies European Tour
event. She won the South African
Women’s Open on March 16. Aditi
Ashok, who won the Hero Women’s
Indian Open in 2016, was the first to
achieve the feat.

PTI

R. Ashwin,
cricketer, on his variations

WORD PLAY
Predictalitics will change the future of
health care. Coined by Daniel Kraft—inventor of a device that facilitates the
minimally invasive harvesting of bone
marrow—predictalitics is the process
by which the digital data of a person is
used to predict what diseases he is at
risk of. This would enable people to make
better health choices. Future consumers
of healthcare will be more empowered,
for sure.

What is new that Priyanka Gandhi will
be doing? Wasn’t she the daughter of

Sonia Gandhi earlier also, or will she
cease to be one in the future? So first
Nehru, then Rajiv, then Sanjay, then
Rahul, and then Priyanka. There might
be just some more Gandhis.
Mahesh Sharma,
Union minister
Modi’s election speeches are centred
on the Indian Air Force’s action in
Balakot and are intended to whip up
a frenzy among the voters. He hopes
that Balakot will carry him to victory. I
believe the people of India are wiser.
P. Chidambaram,
Congress leader

AFP

At the cusp of history, Indians have a
choice to make. Are they electing a sixmonth government or a five-year government? Are they choosing between a
tried, tested and a performing leader or
a chaotic crowd of non-leaders?
Arun Jaitley,
Union minister

12 THE WEEK • MARCH 31, 2019

During my school days, people used
to suggest that I lose weight. When
I joined Hindi film industry, people

made scathing remarks about my figure. Everybody suggested me to go for
fitness regimen. But I never bothered.
I have always been comfortable with
my body.
Vidya Balan,
actor

l FIGHTING

REVENGE PORN
Facebook has unveiled a new
AI-powered tool that will detect revenge porn. The tool will proactively
detect and block near-nude images
that are non-consensually shared
across Facebook and Instagram.

l TRUE

HERO
Pakistan announced a national
award for Naeem Rashid, a Pakistani
national who was killed while trying
to stop the white-supremacist who
killed 50 people in New Zealand’s
Christchurch. A teacher, Naeem
had migrated from Pakistan to New
Zealand a decade ago.


POWER POINT

SACHIDANANDA MURTHY

A loyal defector

P

olitical defections are normally acrimonious and messy affairs. But Danish Ali, longtime loyalist of former prime minister H. D.
Deve Gowda, has defected to the Bahujan Samaj
Party with the blessings of the Janata Dal (Secular)
patriarch and his son H.D. Kumaraswamy, the
Karnataka chief minister. Ali, who hails from Uttar
Pradesh, left the JD(S) at a time when he was enjoying maximum clout in the party as its general
secretary. The reason was the lure of Parliament.
Thrice Ali had failed to get nominated to the Rajya
Sabha from Karnataka.
He had a dream run last year, being involved
in the JD(S)-BSP tie-up ahead of
the Karnataka assembly elections
and the formation of the coalition
government with the support of
the Congress after a hung verdict.
Ali also coordinated the grand
gathering of opposition leaders at
Kumaraswamy’s swearing in, and
became a member of the coalition
coordination committee. The only
other member from the JD(S) was
Kumaraswamy. Yet as spokesmen from other
parties, with whom Ali sparred regularly on prime
time, got Rajya Sabha seats, he started looking for

the right opportunity.
During the BSP-JD(S) negotiations, Ali had
impressed Mayawati, who was scouting for Muslim faces. Once he convinced the BSP supremo,
Ali won over Deve Gowda, too, with the unusual move of seeking permission to defect. Deve
Gowda, who is unlikely to field a Muslim from the
party’s eight-seat quota for the Lok Sabha elections was also sending a message to the Muslim
voters in Karnataka. It was an arrangement which
suited the shrewd former prime minister, who
used Ali as the point person for non-BJP opposition parties.
Another politician who relied on an outsider for
Delhi politics has been Rashtriya Janata Dal chief
Lalu Prasad. He had depended on Haryana businessman Prem Gupta, who went on to become a
ILLUSTRATION BHASKARAN

Rajya Sabha MP and a junior minister in the Manmohan Singh government. Otherwise, regional
parties with specific influence in their own states
use someone from the state to be the point person
in Delhi. Mayawati has depended on her former
advocate general Satish Chandra Mishra, a Rajya
Sabha MP. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam patriarch
M. Karunanidhi always deputed a family member
who was fluent in English. The role passed from his
nephew Murasoli Maran, who was minister in the
governments of V.P. Singh, Deve Gowda, I.K. Gujral
and A.B. Vajpayee, to Maran’s son Dayanidhi, who
was minister under Manmohan Singh. Now, under
his son M.K. Stalin, the role is
fulfilled by Karunanidhi’s younger daughter Kanimozhi. While
Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackerey
preferred former Maharashtra chief

minister Manohar Joshi to be his
point person, his successor Uddhav
prefers journalist-turned-politician
Sanjay Raut, rather than the Union
ministers of the Sena.
However, regional leaders
who have served as senior cabinet ministers in
Delhi like Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee and
Naveen Patnaik, have dealt directly with parties
in the national capital. Both Mulayam Singh
Yadav and his son Akhilesh have dealt with other
politicians themselves because of their innings in
Parliament, but, otherwise, the Delhi resident for
the Yadav clan is Mulayam’s brother Ram Gopal.
Though he was never an MP or Union minister,
K. Chandrababu Naidu keeps his connections in
Delhi from the time he was the convener of the
United Front governments of Deve Gowda and
Gujral, and later when his Telugu Desam Party lent
crucial support to Vajpayee in 1999.
Danish Ali has missed a stint in Parliament, so
far. He hopes it will work out with the BSP. On the
other hand, Deve Gowda is hopeful of sending two
grandsons to Delhi and hopes they would build
networks for the party. Maybe, with a little help
from Ali.

MARCH 31, 2019 • THE WEEK 13

IVORY TOWER
SANJAYA BARU

Venezuela’s slippery oil

W

here there is oil and natural gas there
is the potential for conflict. From West
Asia to the South China Sea, from Latin America to Central Asia and in places across
Africa, the control of the sources of energy—the
fuel of economic growth—has been a key factor
in defining conflict through most of the past
century. During the cold war, many such conflicts were garbed in ideology. With the fear of
communism overpowering capitalism declining,
with China chasing capitalism in the name of
socialism, the naked use of power to grab oil and
gas became all too visible. No other commodity
has moved the militaries of the United States and
its allies around the world more than oil and gas.
No other commodity has been responsible for regime change in the
developing world more than oil.
Venezuela is the latest geopolitical hot spot where oil has once
again become a weapon. Seeking
regime change in Venezuela, the
US, its biggest customer for oil, has
imposed sanctions on the former’s
oil exports. It wants other countries to follow suit in the name of
democracy. India is Venezuela’s
second biggest customer and needs that oil.

Though, under the circumstances, Venezuela
needs the Indian market more. So Venezuela
has, understandably, offered India a barter deal
that will enable India to pay rupees for oil. Venezuela will then have to buy Indian goods to make
use of the cash. The incentive for India, apart
from continued access to Venezuelan oil, would
be an increase in demand for Indian goods.
Venezuela has long enjoyed a trade surplus with
India, with Indian manufacturers having difficulty in accessing the Venezuelan market.
This is not the first time that the US has exerted
pressure on India to give up buying oil from
one of their adversaries. US sanctions on Iran
have forced India to find new ways of keeping
that flow coming even as the quantity import-

ed has been curtailed. But, Venezuela is not
Iran. Not only is Iran an important geopolitical
neighbour, given the access it offers to Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond, some of India’s
refineries can only process Iranian crude. India
used both arguments effectively in dealing with
the pressure exerted by the US to join in on the
Iran sanctions when Manmohan Singh was
negotiating the civil nuclear energy deal with
former US President George Bush. Even the
unpredictable Donald Trump has offered India
some flexibility in dealing with Iran after he
re-imposed sanctions.
Will President Trump be as accommodative
when it comes to Venezuela? These are dog
days for Venezuela. Not only

has the regime of President
Nicolas Maduro become less
popular but the oil market, too,
has become less stressful for
buyers. The rise in the use of
gas and renewables in both developed and developing countries, along with the growth
slowdown both in the West and
China, have given consumers
like India some breathing and
bargaining space.
If there was one thing going for Venezuela in
India it was the fact that one of its major buyers
was the highly influential Reliance Industries.
But, Reliance is not only sharply reducing its
purchase of crude oil from Venezuela, it has
also decided to stop exporting refined products to that country. Reliance has important
business interests in the US, generally and
specifically in energy, and so it has decided to
fall in line with the US rather than face sanctions. The government of India, however, will
have to show diplomatic spine and take a more
long-term strategic view. It is not easy and how
successful New Delhi is in balancing friendship
between the US and Venezuela will test India’s
diplomatic skills.

Baru is an economist and a writer. He was adviser to former prime minister Manmohan Singh.
ILLUSTRATION BHASKARAN

14 THE WEEK • MARCH 31, 2019

APERITIF

PARTY SNACKS

CRYING FOUL
Former prime minister H.D. Deve
Gowda broke down saying he was
pained by allegations of dynasty
politics against him. This was at a
rally held to announce his grandson
Prajwal’s electoral debut from Hassan.
The Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch’s
tears, however, became ammunition
for the BJP. It said he shed no tears
after the Pulwama attack, but was
crying at the rally only to garner
sympathy votes for Prajwal. At one
point, Deve Gowda, his son Revanna
and Prajwal were crying together
on stage. The BJP tweeted: “Before
elections Deve Gowda & his family
cries. After elections people who vote
this family cries.”

ILLUSTRATIONS JAIRAJ T.G.

SUDDEN SWITCH
Aadala Prabhakar Reddy, a sitting

MLA of the Telugu Desam Party
was named in the party’s first list
of candidates for the assembly
elections, which will be held
concurrently with the Lok Sabha
polls in Andhra Pradesh. But,
he went missing soon after and
remained incommunicado. The
party cadre, who were searching
frantically for their leader, finally
found him the next day—in the
YSR Congress Party’s office. He got
a Lok Sabha ticket from the YSRCP.

16 THE WEEK • MARCH 31, 2019


CADRE CARE 101
Before candidates come the
ticket-seekers. Thousands of
aspirants had trooped into
the BJP headquarters ahead
of the leadership’s huddle to
finalise candidates for the
Lok Sabha polls. As they did
not know who to give their
neatly prepared portfolios to,
party president Amit Shah
stepped in and received all
applications himself. While

turncoats joining the BJP
are more likely to get tickets,
Shah’s gesture meant that
the cadre went back happy at
having got an audience with
the top gun.

CLOSED CEREMONY
The Rashtrapathi Bhavan
did not invite the media to
cover the defence investiture
ceremony, where the president
confers the gallantry and
distinguished service medals.
Instead, the photo gallery of
the ceremony, which took
place on March 14, was
uploaded on presidentofindia.
nic.in and the list of awardees
was released. Talk about the
pleasure of the president!

CHANGE IN MOOD
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi
Vijayan is not known for his sense
of humour. But this election
season, he has been cracking jokes
on the campaign trail. His fans say
it shows his confidence ahead of
the coming Lok Sabha elections.

The detractors, however, think it is
the carefree attitude of someone
who has nothing more to lose. We
will have to wait till the results are
announced to find out.

MARCH 31, 2019 • THE WEEK 17


18 THE WEEK • MARCH 31, 2019


MARCH 31, 2019 • THE WEEK 19


COVER STORY
JAYALALITHAA

EXCLUSIVE

EMPRESS OF
MALADIES

A

person’s sense of humour is often the first
casualty of an illness.
But J. Jayalalithaa never
lost hers, even as her
maladies left her gasping

for air. On September 27,
2016, barely a week after
she was rushed to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai, she cracked a joke about her wheezy
breathing. “She quipped that it sounded like
someone sitting in the front row of a movie
theatre, whistling at the screen,” recalled Dr
K.S. Shivakumar, her longtime doctor.
Jayalalithaa’s final weeks had all the drama
of a potboiler, befitting the actor-turned-politician that she was. The illnesses that
plagued the Tamil Nadu chief minister were
sundry. She had been suffering from vertigo
for 15 years, had been obese and diabetic for
more than 20 years, and had chronic heart,
respiratory and digestive disorders, thyroidand nerve-related problems, and a skin
condition for which she took steroids.

20 THE WEEK • MARCH 31, 2019

Jayalalithaa’s doctors fought not
only her sundry ailments, but
also her unhealthy habits and
impulsive ways. THE WEEK
accesses confidential documents
to piece together the untold story
of the final weeks of her life
BY LAKSHMI SUBRAMANIAN

Jayalalithaa was hardly conscious for most
of the 74 days she was in Apollo Hospitals,
Chennai. But when she was, she insisted on

running the show. Dr Richard Beale, the London-based intensive care expert who flew in
to help treat her, got a taste of it when he met
her in October 2016. Beale visited her after
meeting the team of Apollo doctors who were
treating her. Shivakumar had told him that
Amma, as Jayalalithaa was popularly known,
was not sticking to her treatment regimen.
According to Shivakumar, who was in the

CANDLE IN
THE WIND
Jayalalithaa
had long been
suffering
from vertigo,
skin allergy,
and heart,
respiratory
and digestive
disorders


PTI

MARCH 31, 2019 • THE WEEK 21


COVER STORY
JAYALALITHAA

room, Beale told Jayalalithaa: “You
might be the boss of this whole state,
but I am the boss of this hospital. You
should listen to what I say.” Jayalalithaa, who was unable to speak
because of her respiratory illness,
replied through gestures. “You are
not the boss,” she gestured. “I am the
boss.”
Having sent the message, Jayalalithaa took Beale’s advice. “We talked
about many things—what she likes
to watch on TV, rehab, etc.,” he said
in a media conference held weeks
after she died. “She couldn’t speak
clearly, but she could mouth, and I
could understand very well. She was
cooperating really well.”
After coming out of Jayalalithaa’s
room, Beale told the Apollo team that
he had asked her to consider going
abroad for treatment. “[Before going
in] Beale had not discussed this option with us,” said Dr Babu Kuruvilla
Abraham, critical care consultant
at Apollo. “We came to know about
their talk only after Beale came out of
her room.”
According to Abraham, Beale told
him: “Very strong-willed lady. I could

Dr Richard
Beale (in pic)

told Jayalalithaa that
she should listen to
his advice. Unable to
speak, she replied
through gestures: “You
are not the boss. I am
the boss.”
22 THE WEEK • MARCH 31, 2019

not persuade her to shift abroad.”
Perhaps, Jayalalithaa was
influenced by what had happened
to M.G. Ramachandran, former
chief minister and her political
mentor, who was admitted to Apollo
Hospitals in October 1984 after a
kidney failure. “MGR was taken to
New York for treatment,” recalled Dr
R. Girinath, cardiothoracic surgeon
who was part of the teams that
treated MGR in 1984 and Jayalalithaa
in 2016. “When he was taken from
[Apollo] hospital, he had not lost
consciousness.” MGR returned
without fully recovering from his
illness, and had to spent the last two
years of his life shuttling between
Chennai and New York for treatment.
He died in 1987.
Jayalalithaa died on December

5, 2016, after she suffered a cardiac
arrest. She was 68. As the details
regarding her treatment were kept
under wraps, rumours began to
spread that she was not given proper
medical care, and that many of the
interventions had ended up worsening her condition.
In a bid to dispel the rumours, a
team of doctors, including Beale and
Abraham, held a media conference
in Chennai on February 6, 2017.
Beale said everything that could be
done to save her “was done exceptionally well” at Apollo.
On September 25, 2017, the Tamil
Nadu government constituted a
commission headed by A. Arumughaswamy, retired judge of the
Madras High Court, to inquire into
Jayalalithaa’s death. The commission
was initially given three months to
submit its report, but was later granted extensions four times. The final
deadline is on June 24.
Even as the Arumughaswamy
commission is wrapping up its proceedings, the rumours surrounding
Jayalalithaa’s death refuse to go away.
The absence of a detailed account
of her treatment has only kept them

DIET SHOCK
To fight
fatigue,

Jayalalithaa
often
consumed an
energy drink,
which caused
her blood
sugar to spike

afloat, even though there is no
evidence supporting allegations that
she was mistreated.
THE WEEK accessed confidential
documents—including statements
made by Jayalalithaa’s doctors before
the commission, testimonies of
consultant specialists who monitored
her progress, and a treatment
summary by Apollo Hospitals—to
piece together a comprehensive
account of her final weeks. This is
the untold story of the long, complex
battle to save Jayalalithaa’s life, and
how and why it ultimately failed.


PTI

SWEET TOOTH,
BITTER HEART

J

ayalalithaa loved ice cream.
And grapes, bananas, cakes and
sweets. To fight fatigue, she often
consumed an energy drink called
Revive, which caused her blood
sugar to spike. “She used to have ice
cream even in the night,” Shivakumar
told the commission. She had sweets
even when the Apollo team was
struggling to stabilise her. “Amma did
not have control over her food intake,
though she knew she had to exercise
control.”

Shivakumar, 50, had been Jayalalithaa’s primary medical consultant
since 1998. His wife is the niece of
V.K. Sasikala, Jayalalithaa’s close confidante. “I would advise Amma on
which doctor to consult, talk to the
doctor, and organise the treatment,”
he said.
Shivakumar lives 20km from
Jayalalithaa’s Poes Garden residence.
He was always on call and knew her
routine to a T. “Every morning, she
would test her blood-sugar level
using a glucometer,” he told the
commission. “She began her day

by drinking water boiled with lotus
petals. Normally, she would have
breakfast at 7:15am, lunch before
11:30am, dinner between 6pm and
7pm. At 11:30pm, before going to
bed, she would repeat the blood test
and note it in her diary.”
To ascertain the nature of her diet,
the commission took note of her
diary entry for August 19, 2015. That
day, she woke up at 6am, checked
her weight (102kg) and fasting blood
sugar level (150 milligrams per
decilitre, against the recommended
80 to 130mg/dL). For breakfast, she
MARCH 31, 2019 • THE WEEK 23


COVER STORY
JAYALALITHAA

had two idlis, two slices of bread
and 150ml cups of tea and coffee.
Two cups of rice for brunch. Poriyal
(sautéed vegetables) and curd rice
for lunch, topped with two cups of
green tea and four biscuits. A vegetable puff, a piece of cake and 200ml
green tea at teatime, and three slices
of wheat bread and 200ml milk for
dinner. She recorded a blood-sugar

level of 175mg/dL at midnight, and
140mg/dL the next morning.
According to Shivakumar, Jayalalithaa’s health had been steady
since 2001. “Her sugar levels alone
varied,” he said. “She was treated for
thyroid problems (hypothyroidism),
and though there were certain other
anomalies, her health was fine.”
That changed in 2014, after a special court in Karnataka convicted her
of amassing assets disproportionate
to her known income. “There was a
change in her thyroid level and her
health,” he said. “Her walk became
slower, as she felt increasingly
giddy because of vertigo.” She began
consulting a neurologist, an ENT
specialist and an ophthalmologist,
and was treated for a “nerve-related
problem”.
She continued to have sweets and
fruits. “Malai vazhaipazham [hill
banana, which she liked] increases
blood-sugar and potassium levels. Generally, if the latter goes up,
there is a risk of death. But her level
remained within safe range,” said
Shivakumar.
On June 23, 2015, a month after
the Karnataka High Court set aside
her conviction in the disproportionate assets case, Jayalalithaa took an
echocardiogram. It showed that she

had grade-1 diastolic dysfunction
(the first of four rungs in the dysfunction ladder), and that the mitral valve
in her heart was not functioning
properly. Worse, there was ‘vegetation’ in the mitral valve—an infected
mass caused by bacterial growth, so
named because of its similarity to
24 THE WEEK • MARCH 31, 2019

FIGHTING TO
STAY FIT
Jayalalithaa
inaugurating
a gym at the
secretariat
in Chennai in
2014

natural vegetation. A surgery, however, was not performed, apparently
because of her high blood sugar.
She also underwent a scan to trace
the cause of her vertigo. By May 2016,
when Jayalalithaa was reelected as
chief minister, several of her ailments
had turned severe. The most visible
among them was atopic dermatitis,
a chronic skin condition that would
occasionally flare up, making her
skin red and itchy. “[Because of her
ill health] the swearing-in ceremony
was short,” recalled Shivakumar. “By

the first week of September, her skin
condition worsened. On the advice
of the specialists who treated Amma,
she was given a steroid tablet called
Wysolone—8mg in the morning and
8mg in the evening. The dosage was
later reduced step by step. She would
have taken this tablet for about 15
days.”

Jayalalithaa took care to wear
clothes that hid her condition;
hence, those distinctive long-sleeved
blouses and saris swaddling her
torso. She was allergic to ink, so her
habit of reading newspapers and
going through files took a toll on her
health. When the allergy flared up,
she would take photos of the affected
area and send it to Shivakumar, who
would then forward it to skin specialists. “She was given medication for
rashes on her thighs and back. She
had a cyst on her calf, which was also
treated,” said Shivakumar.
Concerned about Jayalalithaa’s
wellbeing, Sasikala asked the specialists to advise the chief minister about
taking time out. “They asked her not
to spend too much time indoors, and
recommended that she visit places
like Siruthavoor or Kodanad, where

she could relax and be close to na-


PTI

ture,” said Shivakumar.
On September 21, 2016, a day
before she was hospitalised, Jayalalithaa flagged off a new corridor of the
Chennai Metro Rail. She gave signs
of being under the weather with her
speech, gait and the way she waved
the flag. “Sasikala later told me that
Amma was very tired, so she cut short
her government functions to come
home and rest,” said Shivakumar.
The next morning, she cancelled
her itinerary and called for Shivakumar. “I went there around 11am,” he
said. “Amma said she had run a slight
temperature in the morning, but did
not have fever. Because I felt that she
was fine then, I left for Apollo Hospitals to perform a surgery.”
He returned to check on her again
at 4pm. “Amma told me that a girl
working there (in Poes Garden) had a
fungal infection, and asked me about

how it affects the body. She said she
had sent the girl to hospital. She told
me that if she herself gets such an
infection, she would not be able to

bear it.”
Shivakumar left again after the
checkup. At 7pm, as he was on
his way home after work, Sasikala
phoned him again saying Jayalalithaa
was unwell. “I went back at 8:45pm,”
he said. “Amma had cough, and was
on her bed. She had slight fever, and
was feeling a little breathless. I called
a person at Apollo and asked him to
bring a nebuliser. The cough worsened. She told me that she wanted to
go to the bathroom. Sasikala stood
outside the door as she went.”
After coming out, Jayalalithaa
walked to her bed, sat on it, coughed
hard and collapsed. Sasikala held
her and shouted for help, as Shivakumar called P. Vijayakumar Reddy,
husband of Apollo Hospitals vice
chairperson Preetha Reddy.
Two girls were also in the room—
part of a group of 10 that Sasikala had
chosen to be at Jayalalithaa’s side in
rotation. As the house did not have

There was
a change
in her thyroid level and
her health [in 2014]. Her
walk became slower,
as she felt increasingly

giddy because of
vertigo.
Dr K.S. Shivakumar,
Jayalalithaa’s longtime doctor

special medical facilities, all of them
waited for the ambulance.

THE FIGHT BEGINS

W

e came to know that Amma
was coming at 10pm,” said
Dr Raymond Dominic Savio,
critical care consultant at Apollo
Hospitals. “Around 10:25pm, she
was brought in to the ground-floor
emergency room.”
Savio told the commission that
Jayalalithaa was administered first
aid for 30 minutes. She regained
consciousness when she came out of
the emergency room, but could not
speak because of the oxygen mask.
She had fever and was dehydrated.
As her condition remained critical,
she was taken to the multidisciplinary critical care unit (MDCCU) on
the second floor.
A team of doctors was soon

mobilised, and they administered
two injections to clear her infected,
fluid-filled lungs. A pacemaker was
kept on standby, as her heartbeat
was fluctuating. She had urinary
tract infection caused by E. coli, a
bacteria found in human faeces. The
doctors found that she used to wear
adult diapers; they were not sure for
how long. They drained urine from
her bladder using a Foley catheter
and started medications to fight the
infection.
The initial diagnosis revealed
a wide range of issues—obesity,
hypertension, poorly controlled
diabetes, hypothyroidism, irritable
bowel syndrome and chronic diarrhoea, and asthmatic bronchitis. It
was also noted that she had a history
of intermittent fever, “for 5-7 days”,
with increased frequency of bowel
movement. She had vaginal candidiasis, a type of yeast infection, and
her grade-1 diastolic dysfunction had
deteriorated to grade-2.
A panel of 18 specialists soon
took over the treatment. The panel
comprised experts in everything,
MARCH 31, 2019 • THE WEEK 25