An artist’s representation of Mount Amma
You heard it here first! Tamil Nadu has always been known for followers going crazy over their favorite actors and leaders. Flex boards have become so commonplace that every marriage, engagement or ear piercing function has at least five such boards. Even in a state where milk abhishekam of heroes’ cut-outs is routine, Amma branding is something else. Twenty years back, they had cut-outs of Jayalalithaa as Mother Mary and worse. Now, she is there on most water bottles and kitchens, along with Amma mixie, grinder etc.
But now the Supreme Court has said that there cannot be any public advertisements featuring chief ministers. Even though the AIADMK has filed an appeal, they don’t want to take chances.
On the Nilgiris, near Kodanadu estates, the party plans to have a permanent display of Jayalalithaa. An AIADMK spokesman said, “The US has Mount Rushmore for honoring past presidents like Roosevelt, Lincoln etc. All of them were sworn in only twice as Presidents. Our Amma is the only global leader to have been sworn in five times as CM of TN. It is fitting that we create a bigger and more permanent place of worship. At the same time, we also want it to be representative of Dravidian movement. So, we will have Periyar, Anna as well as MGR in the monument.”
The spokesperson continued, “We would make it at least 200 metres tall. Right below the statue, we will have an acre set aside for people to do namaskaram.Then two acres for small statues of all world leaders, past, present and future; From Washington to Obama and beyond. We are keeping some empty space, just in case we discover alien civilizations. If we do, their leader’s statues will also be kept looking up at Amma with devotion. There would be 10 acres space set aside below the hill for various cut-outs. A small auditorium will be created where followers can do anything from eating from the floor to crucifying themselves. Special classrooms will also be set up for aspiring CAs to innovatively account for accumulated wealth. Mount Amma will be lit up in the night, in a green color.”
We had a follow through question: “What happens, if the Karnataka Government goes on appeal and again Jayalalithaa has to step down under court guidance?”
He became very quiet and then said, “We hope and pray it won’t happen. Just in case it does, we have a 50 meter inflatable balloon of O. Panneerselvam that will be flown on such days!”