As Sheikh Hasina seized a fourth consecutive term as Bangladesh's prime minister earlier this year, she projected an aspirational picture.
The 76-year-old spoke of how she'd fought for her nation, freeing it from the grip of military rule and improving the lives of her citizens during her 20 years in power.
"Today people dream of a developed life ... of a beautiful life," she beamed.
Ms Hasina is a secular Muslim who has resisted the rise of Islamist militancy, overseen an economic rebirth, and alleviated millions out of poverty.
She has ruled the South Asian nation of 170 million since 2009, making her the longest-serving non-hereditary female head of government in the world.
"I protested against the military regime for the democratic rights of the people and was arrested many times ... but I didn't give up," she said clad in a signature pale-yellow sari.
But it was hard to miss the irony.
Beyond her economic success lay growing discontent, particularly among youth who felt stifled by her government's heavy-handed tactics and lack of democratic freedoms.
Still, the idea that just months after becoming prime minister again she'd be forced to flee the country in secret would have been unthinkable.
Yet, that is exactly what happened.
How it all fell apart for Sheikh Hasina
Over the last few days, calls for Hasina to go only grew louder, as hundreds of thousands of people engulfed the streets of Dhaka.
The protests began last month among students who have been frustrated by a shortage of good jobs, and quickly grew into a national movement.
Even as they were met by a curfew, an internet blackout, and violent police crackdown, the demonstrators said they wouldn't stop until Hasina stepped down.
And on Monday Bangladesh's army reportedly gave Hasina just 45 minutes to resign.
She seemingly accepted and fled Dhaka on a military helicopter.
As she flew to neighbouring India, thousands of protesters stormed her official residence, Ganabhaban, looting and vandalising it.
Protesters were seen lying on a bed, while others were seen munching on chicken leg pieces in one of the rooms.
Videos show a man wearing one of Hasina's saris, and another walks on her front lawn holding a giant fish.
Elsewhere, a woman is seen stealing Hasina's Dior bags.
Her private residence, Sudha Sadan, was vandalised, looted and set on fire by agitators.
It was an unexpected end to the so-called Iron Lady's grip on power.
"Revolution is taking place in the country," army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman proclaimed.
The protests that toppled the 'Iron Lady'
Faced with a lack of stable job opportunities, last month, students called for the abolition of a quota system that allocated 30 per cent of government jobs to the family members of veterans from Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence.
Students argued that the system was discriminatory and primarily benefited supporters of Hasina's Awami League Party, which spearheaded the independence movement.
They advocated for a shift to a merit-based system.
Violence followed clashes between thousands of anti-quota demonstrators and members of the student wing of the Awami League.
As the protests intensified, authorities responded by shutting down mobile internet access and imposing a nationwide curfew.
Hasina mobilised all available forces onto the streets, including a notorious paramilitary unit whose leaders have previously been subject to international sanctions for allegations of torture, extrajudicial killings, and forced disappearances.
About 200 people were killed in the initial demonstrations, and more than a thousand injured, many of whom were denied medical care and are missing, according to the United Nations.
Nearly 10,000 people have reportedly been detained on charges of involvement in clashes and destruction of government property.
Last month, Bangladesh's supreme court scrapped most of the quotas and ordered 93 per cent of the government jobs to be allocated on merit.
But the protests continued, reflecting broader frustrations about the economy, corruption and the authoritarian turn under Hasina's government.
Close to 100 people including policemen were killed in fierce clashes on August 4, as protesters demanded Hasina's resignation.
Police responded by firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse tens of thousands of people and the government declared an indefinite nationwide curfew.
But protesters defied the orders, calling for a nationwide non-cooperation movement including blocking highways, urging people not to pay taxes, utility bills or go to work.
They attacked a major public hospital in Dhaka and torched several vehicles.
The overall death toll from this bloody period has crossed 300.
Until the very end, Hasina reportedly remained defiant.
After a meeting with security chiefs, she adamantly declared that the demonstrators were "not students but terrorists who are out to destabilise the nation".
An assassination and six years in exile elevated Hasina
Daughter of Bangladesh's founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina's political career began in the late 60s when she served as his political messenger while he was in detention.
In 1975, her father, mother and three brothers were assassinated in their home by the military. She spent six years in exile, where she was elected to the leadership of her father's party – the Awami League.
She became a passionate advocate for democracy – condemning military rule and fighting for basic human rights for Bangladeshis.
She was first elected as prime minister in 1996.
Since then, the nation's politics have been dominated by two rival dynasties – one led by Hasina and the other by Khaleda Zia, leader of the BNP.
Zia was under house arrest, fighting what she says are trumped-up corruption charges, but was released on Monday on President Mohammed Shahabuddin's orders.
"Hasina's resignation proves the power of the people," said Tarique Rahman, the exiled eldest son of the two Zias who now serves as acting chairman of the opposition party.
On Monday in Dhaka, protesters climbed the statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nation's founding leader and Hasina's father, and hacked at it with an axe.
A protester was seen slapping the head with his slipper.
They then set fire to the museum named in his honour.
It reflected a deep-seated frustration with the current government and its connection to the country's past.
What now for Bangladesh?
General Waker-Uz-Zaman has appealed for peace and vowed to seek justice for those who were killed in the unrest.
He's speaking with leaders of major political parties — except Hasina's Awami League – and said he would discuss a way forward with the president.
"I request you all to be a little patient, give us some time and together we will be able to solve all the problems," General Waker-Uz-Zaman said.
"Please don't go back to the path of violence and please return to non-violent and peaceful ways."
Despite Hasina's departure and the army's takeover, violence and vandalism continued across the country.
Thousands of agitators captured parliament, torched police headquarters, and burned down a hotel belonging to a Hasina loyalist.
Fifty-six people were reportedly killed.
There is little indication of when normalcy will return.
But for her part, Hasina's family has indicated that she will not attempt to make a comeback.
"I think she is so disappointed that after all her hard work, after as much development as she has undertaken for Bangladesh, which everyone considers a miracle, for a minority to rise up against her," her son Sajeeb Wazed told the BBC.
"I think she's done."
