M.G. Ramachandran’s hospitalisation in the U.S. and homecoming after treatment Premium

M.G. Ramachandran's journey from hospitalisation in the U.S. to a triumphant homecoming in Tamil Nadu after recovery.

It was October 1984, one of the most turbulent phases for India and Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) was admitted to a private hospital in Madras after a health setback. And, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated.

MGR’s health deteriorated and he was flown to the United States of America (U.S.A.) on November 6, 1984, on a chartered Air India flight that was fully stocked with emergency hospital equipment. He was admitted to the Downstate Medical Centre in Brooklyn, New York. During his admission, he was running a temperature, breathing through a tube, had a non-functioning kidney, and was not fully conscious after suffering a stroke, according to a report in The Hindu archives.

He underwent a successful kidney transplant surgery and slowly recovered from the effects of the stroke. He was able to walk. At the time of discharge, he was undergoing speech therapy from a specialist who later travelled with him to Madras.

M.G. Ramachandran at the Downstate Medical Centre in Brooklyn, New York where he was undergoing treatment in December 1984 | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives

The Hindu’s New York correspondent reported in detail on the events that took place and the personalities who met MGR on his last day in Brooklyn. Before leaving for Madras (now Chennai) on February 2, 1985, MGR said 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 once again.” He also conveyed his thanks, and his wife V.N. Janaki’s (who later became the first woman Chief Minister of the State) gratitude, to the doctors, administrators and paramedical staff at the Downstate Medical Centre for taking good care of him.