CHENNAI: Governor RN Ravi unfurled the National Flag at the 77th Republic Day celebrations on Kamarajar Salai on Monday, marking a rare public appearance alongside Chief Minister MK Stalin, especially a week after their standoff in the Assembly.
Four persons, including a civilian who was awarded posthumously, received the Anna Medal for Gallantry during the State's Republic Day near the Marina.
In his Republic Day address, Ravi said India’s rapid economic growth, technological progress and cultural resurgence had firmly placed the country on course to become a fully developed nation by 2047.
He described India as the world’s fastest-growing large economy and said it was on the verge of becoming the third largest globally, with over 25 crore people lifted out of absolute poverty in the past decade due to sustained reforms and institutional strength.
The Governor also highlighted India’s rise as a major start-up hub, its advances in space technology, its growing defence production, and its leadership in renewable energy and digital payments.
He said non-fossil fuels now account for more than half of installed power capacity, while UPI handled 21.6 billion transactions worth nearly Rs 28 lakh crore in December 2025. On national security, he cited Operation Sindoor and said defence production had touched Rs 1.54 lakh crore, with exports of Rs 23,622 crore.
Referring to Tamil Nadu, Ravi said the State had benefited from increased infrastructure investments, including railway allocations, station modernisation, airport upgrades and port development. He also underlined Tamil Nadu’s cultural contribution, citing celebrations linked to Kamban, Rajendra Chola and the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, and called for a collective commitment to the pledge of “Nation First”.
The ceremony itself saw a visible thaw in protocol tensions after Ravi was welcomed by Stalin with a floral bouquet at the venue. Last week, the Governor had walked out of the Assembly without delivering his customary address, triggering political friction.
After unfurling the Tricolour, Ravi took the guard of honour and inspected the tri-services parade before handing over the ceremonial baton to the Chief Minister. Rose petals were showered from a helicopter as contingents of the Indian Coast Guard, the Central Armed Police Forces, and the Tamil Nadu Police marched past. Around 20 government departments presented tableaux, including displays of battle tank miniatures and bullet-proof Light Specialist Vehicles.
Chief Minister Stalin later presented the Anna Medals for Gallantry to Fire and Rescue Services personnel V Shankar, S Rameshkumar and P Suresh of the Nilgiris district for saving three people from a river. In the civilian category, the award was conferred posthumously on Peter Johnson, who died while rescuing two boys; the medal was received by his wife, A Jesi.
Five police personnel received the Gandhi Adigal Police Medal, while awards for excellence in agriculture and communal harmony went to G. Veeramani of Thanjavur district and M Kalimulla of Tirupur.
The celebrations concluded with cultural performances by students highlighting Tamil language and heritage, themed around a line from poet Bharathidasan.