Steady stream of visitors at Marina Beach to pay respects to Jaya

Chennai: Darkness engulfed the Marina beach, but the steady stream of devoted cadre and die hard supporters was endless.

Dusk and the dawn did not matter for these people as they converged there to pay their respects by recollecting their leader’s schemes and some, by even tonsuring their heads.

For Sibajidheen, an auto-driver at Marina Beach, Jayalaithaa is a woman of justice and soft heart.

Appreciating her schemes, he said, “She had made the metre fare mandatory for the auto rickshaws, making many to use autos. Since morning, there has been a good flow of people coming from the state.”

Fear of riots and violence has been an element of scare for some, who is grieving Jayalalithaa’s death from their own residences. V. Tamilarasan, an 88-year-old senior citizen who had come from Ambur said, “I was cautioned by my family to not go to Chennai, fearing disturbances. As the city is peaceful, many people would come in the next two days.”

V. Tamilarasan had tonsured his head, as a token of respect to the Iron Lady. “I have done it when MGR died. This is my way of paying homage,” said Tamilarasan, appreciating the city police for maintaining law and order in the city.
The determination to see the memorial stays so strong among the loyalists that they did not mind the obstacles that came through.

A youngster from Madurai had stayed the Tuesday night in a small hotel, to visit the burial site on Wednesday. “Her presence was just all around in my house. Amma mixie, Amma Laptop and what not? If not for her schemes, I would not have completed my engineering,” said M. Balaji from Madurai.

Balaji, who failed to get a final glimpse of Amma on Tuesday, was satiated after mourning her loss at the Marina burial site. “I was glued to the television set and was wailing along with my family, the whole day. I have no strength to see the burial site,” said Vijaya, a Triplicane resident, who was seen with her relative at the Marina bus stop.