Tamil Nadu was in for a second shock on Wednesday as the recently-bereaved State woke up to the news of the demise of Cho Ramaswamy, the State’s cultural czar early on Wednesday morning at the age of 82.
late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa who breathed her last late on Monday night was a close friend of Cho and his death came at a time when the State is yet to recover from the shock of Amma’s demise. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.
It may be a strange coincidence but Cho was admitted to the ICU of the Apollo Hospitals on Monday evening as Jayalalithaa, his friend of more than six decades, was battling for life in another ward of the same hospital.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, leader of the Opposition MK Stalin and senior leaders of all political parties from the DMK to the Hindu Makkal Katchi expressed their shock and condolences over the passing away of Cho, an iconic figure in the State.
A former nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, Cho was a multi-faceted personality who was a journalist, theatre artist, political commentator and an author par excellence. Thuglaq, the weekly founded and edited by him is described as the last word in Tamil Nadu as well as national politics.
The anniversary meetings of Thuglaq held at the Madras Music Academy on every January 15 where Cho would answer the queries of readers and sum up the general political and social situation in the country, used to be a must-attend occasion for the State’s intelligentsia. Interestingly, leaders of all political parties also made it a point to be at the Thuglaq anniversary, an important occasion in Tamil Nadu’s cultural calendar.
Tamil drama is alive and kicking in the State thanks to the patronage given by Cho, who has written, directed and acted in hundreds of dramas in his career and all were major successes.
“All the dramas written and directed by Cho were a mirror he held up to society so that it could see for itself the stark reality staring it,” said S Gurumurthy, writer and professor, Sastra University. Cho was the first person in this part of the country to demand that the BJP nominate Narendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate in 2009.
Thuglaq, the magazine he founded has been named after a play of the same name he wrote, acted in and directed in the early 1970s. He began his film career in 1963 with the comic blockbuster Paar Makale Paar.