It was October 1984, one of the most tumultuous phases for India and Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister MG Ramachandran (MGR) has been admitted to a private hospital in Madras following a medical setback. And Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated.
MGR’s health deteriorated and on 6 November 1984 he was flown to the United States of America (USA) on a chartered Air India flight fully equipped with emergency hospital equipment. He was admitted to Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. During his admission, he had a fever, was breathing through a tube, had non-functioning kidneys and was not fully conscious after a stroke, according to a report in the Hindu Archives.
He underwent a successful kidney transplant and was slowly recovering from the effects of a stroke. He could walk. At the time of his release, he was undergoing speech therapy with a specialist who later traveled with him to Madras.
MG Ramachandran at Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, receiving treatment in December 1984 | Photo Credit: Hindu Archives
The Hindu’s New York correspondent reported in detail the events that transpired and the personalities who met MGR on his last day in Brooklyn. Before leaving for Madras (now Chennai) on 2 February 1985, MGR said that he was returning home and was eager to meet the people of Tamil Nadu, to whom he owed a great debt of gratitude.
In a statement issued before his departure, MGR said, “I look forward to being at their service again.” He also conveyed his thanks and that of his wife VN Janaki (who later became the first woman Chief Minister of the state) to the doctors, administrators and medical staff at Downstate Medical Center for taking good care of him.
“My time here has allowed me to return home with a renewed spirit of determination to serve the people I love most,” he said in a statement. The fact that he returned home on a regular Air India commercial flight spoke volumes for his improved health.
An exciting reception
In Tamil Nadu, preparations were underway, both by the state government and AIADMK members, to celebrate the Chief Minister’s homecoming. A mammoth reception was planned to mark his first public appearance in nearly three months.
MG Ramachandran (MGR) with his wife VN Janaki and AIADMK leader Nedunchezhian at a public reception given to him on his arrival in Madras on 4 February 1985 | Photo Credit: Hindu Archives
S. Muthusamy, the incumbent housing minister in the DMK government, who was then an AIADMK strongman from Erode and served as transport minister in the MGR cabinet, oversaw transport arrangements to the reception venue at the Mohite Stadium in St. Thomas Mount, two kilometers from Madras Airport.
Bus services of the erstwhile Periyar Transport Corporation and Pattukottai Azhagiri Transport Corporation from various parts of the state including Cuddalore, Vriddachalam, Chidambaram, Kancheepuram, Vellore and Tiruvannamalai were operated to transport the public to the city and back to their seats after the reception.
AIADMK – Congress (I) victory.
After the assassination of Indira Gandhi, her elder son Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in as the Prime Minister. While MGR was in hospital, Rajiv Gandhi recommended the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and called for early elections. Similarly, the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu also recommended the dissolution of the assembly and continued to lead the polls in alliance with the Congress(I).
Both the assembly and general elections were held in Tamil Nadu on 24 December 1984 (coincidentally, MGR died on this day three years later). The combine won 195 out of 234 assembly seats and 37 out of 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu. MGR won the Andipatti Assembly seat in absentia. The Congress (I) won the general election with a landslide majority and Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister again.
Then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MG Ramachandran during a meeting with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at the Raj Bhavan in Madras on February 28, 1985 | Photo Credit: Hindu Archives
In New York, an Air India flight carrying MGR and others took off on February 2, 1985 in wet and bitterly cold weather, The Hindu reported. The four seats in the plane’s first class compartment were adjusted to provide comfort for his bedding. The flight terminated its passenger service at Bombay (now Mumbai) and flew as a charter to Madras with only MGR and his entourage.
On the morning of February 4, 1985, a sea of people from different parts of Tamil Nadu thronged the venue to greet the leader. Sporting his signature fur cap and dark glasses, MGR arrived at the venue to thunderous cheers in his Ambassador car and walked briskly to the decorated stage, The Hindu reported the next day.
The then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MG Ramachandran, on 4 February 1985 at the Mohite Stadium in St. Thomas Mount received a tumultuous reception in Madras after returning home from the U.S. after a successful treatment | Photo Credit: Hindu Archives
He was accompanied by senior AIADMK leader VR Nedunchezhian and party general secretary PU Shanmugham. His cabinet colleagues and admirers were overcome with emotion as MGR waved his hand. In a brief welcome address, Nedunchezhian said that MGR, who had gone to the US as Chief Minister, had returned as Chief Minister and would take oath as Chief Minister for the third time in the coming days. He also told MGR that the people of the state had re-elected the AIADMK government and that he was dedicating this massive victory to their leader as a “gift to the people”.
After MGR reached his residence at Ramavaram (now Ramapuram), Governor SL Khurana met him. A few days later, he was again sworn in as the Chief Minister.
The new Tamil Nadu Cabinet after its swearing-in ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in Madras in February 1985 | Photo Credit: Hindu Archives
Published – 11 Feb 2026 05:30 IST