Malaysians and foreigners reflect on Jayalalithaa’s legacy

Sudden passing: Shanmugam (in black) with a group of workers from India watching the live transmission of Jayalalithaa’s wake on television in Little India, George Town.

PETALING JAYA: When Malay­sian-born actress Shantini Thema touched down in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu in India, she found a city in mourning.

The Tourism Malaysia ambassador to South India saw a mass of mourners lining the streets towards the Rajaji Hall in Chennai where the body of their beloved Amma, the state Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, lay in repose.