Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik

Before surrendering to the court, the general secretary of the AIADMK party, V K Sasikala visited the memorial of the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and struck her palm three times on Jayalalitha’s grave, an act of slamming that observers interpreted as a ritual act, based on ancient Tamil lore of kings, indicating a solemn oath to take revenge. Thus, though convicted by the courts of the nation state, she transformed herself into a victim, a martyr, and future hero, using mythic vocabulary that she knew her constituency would understand.