Cauvery forgotten, Melkote sings praises

MYSURU: Since the Cauvery agitation rocked the state a couple of months ago, Tamils in Melkote have been apprehensive about disclosing their identity. On Tuesday, people paid tribute to Jayalalithaa, who was born in Melkote, though the Tamils kept their mourning low-key.
About 66 Iyengar families, including 30 families belonging to the Mandyapuram Iyengar caste to which Jayalalitha belongs, live here. Srinivasa Narasimhan, priest of the Melkote temple, said Jayalalithaa's family had a long association with the town.
The temple documents say that about 420 Iyengar families lived in Melkote 920 years ago, among them Jayalalithaa's ancestors, he said. “Most of these families worked in the temples and received free ration from the Mysuru Maha raja,“ he said. Narasimhan said that though her mother moved to Mysuru long before Jayalalithaa's birth, the four-time chief minister had visited the town. “As an actor, Jayalalithaa visited Melkote four to five times. She has been here after entering politics but not after becoming chief minister.
SUPPORT FOR STATUE
For decades, Congress leader G Madegowda criticised Jayalalithaa due to the Cauvery dispute, but on Tuesday he said he'd be happy to see her statue installed in Melkote.
“Whatever the differences we had with her, she was our daughter and she should be remembered as a tall symbol for all Kannadigas,“ Madegowda said. He said he would “whole-heartedly support“ a proposal for a statue in her honour in Mandya district.“We are proud of her,“ he said.