One opinion many Chennaites expressed was how the city has had terrible experiences in the month of December. The fact that many would wait for the brilliant weather the city had during December has been now clouded with a number of tragedies from history.
As the late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa’s death still haunts the city, it’s not the first time it has faced such a tragedy. Even the ones who aren’t superstitious are unable to ignore that the city has suffered much during December. Take a look at the ‘December curse’ which continues to worry the citizens.
MGR
One of the biggest stars and political leaders in Chennai’s history was MG Ramachandran. MGR as everyone fondly calls him, passed away after a prolonged illness at the age of 70. The city was gearing up for Christmas in the winter of 1987 and the news of his death on 24th morning left everyone mourning. The news of the former Chief Minister’s death threw the city into turmoil and many acts of violence were reported across the state.
C. Rajagopalachari
India’s last Governor-General during the Independence was C. Rajagopalachari. The independence-activist, politician and writer was admired and followed by many in Madras Presidency as well as across the country. After fighting for Independence, C. Rajagopalachari had secured a huge fan following in the Southern state. Post a prolonged illness, he passed away in Chennai, the then Madras on the December 25, 1972. The politician’s death left a void and his followers mourned his death for a long time.
Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
One of the most popular social activists during the Independence was E.V.R, popularly known as Periyar. He broke away from Indian National Congress when he realized that the party was aligned towards a particular caste. Periyar started the Self-respect movement and worked towards abolishing the caste system. He also worked extensively for the usage of Tamil language and for women’s rights. After many years of social and political activism he passed away on December 24, 1973 leaving a great legacy behind.
Tsunami
Having lost such great politicians and activists, Chennai has also suffered some natural tragedies. The Tsunami of 2004 devastated lives across the city in the month of December. Many families lost their loved ones and many lost their lifetime savings and properties during the fateful year.
Floods
On the first day of December 2015, Chennaites were happy with the happy rains that were showered on the city. Soon, the fear of floods sank in as the rains refused to stop. The IMD released reports of the upcoming rainfall and Chennai was not prepared for such devastating downpour. A year has gone by and still the scars of the downpour stay in their minds. Here’s hoping the coming years are happier and the so-called ‘December curse’ is a thing of past.