Nagaland Governor La. Ganesan, who passed away in Chennai on Friday evening, was cremated on Saturday with full state honours, including a ceremonial 42-gun salute.
The funeral drew leading political figures, government officials, and members of the public, all of whom gathered to bid a final farewell to the veteran leader.
Ganesan, 80, suffered a fall at his residence in T Nagar on August 8 and was admitted to Apollo Hospital, where doctors discovered a blood clot in his brain.
Following his demise, his body was kept at his residence for public homage.
Governor RN Ravi, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, state ministers, BJP state president Nainar Nagendran, senior BJP leaders H Raja and Vanathi Srinivasan MLA, along with several dignitaries and the public, paid floral tributes.
On Saturday, the mortal remains were taken in a decorated vehicle in a solemn procession to the Besant Nagar Electric Crematorium.
Draped in the national flag and placed in a sandalwood casket, the body was carried by personnel from the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Tamil Nadu ministers M. Subramanian and Raghupathi, and BJP leaders including Nainar Nagendran and H. Raja were among those who paid their last respects.
As a mark of honour, a ceremonial 42-round gun salute was accorded before his family members performed the final rites. His body was then consigned to flames.
The solemn ceremony marked the farewell of a dedicated public servant who devoted his life to the nation, the people of Nagaland, and the larger cause of public service.
Nagaland leaders pay tribute to Govenor La. Ganesan at State Funeral in Chennai
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio laid a floral tribute on behalf of the Government of Nagaland. The state funeral and cremation took place at the Besant Nagar Electric Crematorium at 5 p.m., attended by Rio, Deputy Chief Ministers, Y Patton and TR Zeliang, Chief Secretary Sentiyanger Imchen, Commissioner & Secretary to the Governor Thavaseelan, former Commissioner & Secretary Rajesh Soundararajan, and DGP Rupin Sharma, among others.
Sharing his grief on social media, “X”, Rio wrote: “Paid my last respects to our Hon’ble Governor, Shri La. Ganesan Ji, along with Dy. CMs Shri @YanthungoPatton, Shri @TRZeliang, the Chief Secretary, GoN, & @DGP_Nagaland.” He remembered Ganesan for his humility, dedication, and selfless service, adding that his contributions would always be cherished with respect and gratitude.
In a statement, Deputy Chief Minister of Nagaland and BJP Legislature Party (BLP) Leader, Y Patton said that on Saturday paid his last respects to the late Governor of Nagaland, La. Ganesan Ji, in Chennai.
He said the Nagaland delegation offered floral tributes and observed solemn prayers for the departed leader.
During the visit, Patton and the state delegation met with the bereaved family, conveying their deepest condolences and sharing in their grief. He described Ganesan’s demise as a great loss for Nagaland, remembering him as a leader who served with humility, integrity, and dedication.
Meanwhile, Nagaland BJP State President, Benjamin Yepthomi, also paid homage to the departed Governor of Nagaland, Thiru La. Ganesan in Chennai.
On behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Nagaland, Yepthomi conveyed deepest condolences at the passing of the Governor. He stated that Thiru La. Ganesan’s dedicated service and commitment to public life will be remembered with respect and gratitude.
The Nagaland BJP extended its sympathies to the bereaved family and joins the people of Nagaland and the Nation in mourning the irreparable loss and pays tribute to the departed soul while praying for eternal peace of the departed soul.
La. Ganesan was born into an Orthodox Brahmin family in the temple town of Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu in the year 1945. At the age of 9 years, his father, Lakshmi Raghava Iyer, a respectable businessman of the town, passed away. After completing his Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC), he took up a government job in the Revenue Department as Revenue Settlement Inspector.
Being wedded to the cause of the motherland, he preferred to be a bachelor all through his life and he chose to be a Pracharak of the RSS in order to serve the nation. Thus, he resigned from his government job after serving for nine years and took the path of a Pracharak since February 16, 1970.
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Through his tireless efforts in serving the people and the community, he was very successful in the public life. On being entrusted with the task of broadening the BJP party base in Tamil Nadu in 1991, he strengthened the party at the grass roots levels and gave recognition to the party among the people of the state. He served as Organising Secretary of State BJP, National Secretary, All India Vice President and was appointed as State President of Tamil Nadu. Due to his untiring efforts in public life and service, he was nominated as Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Bhopal constituency and served for a brief period of 18 months. He was a member of the National Executive Committee of BJP since 1991.
He was the editor of the Tamil mouth piece of the party ‘Ore Naadu’ (One Nation). He also contributed article and columns to mainstream magazines. He was the founder President of ‘Pottramarai’ (Golden Lotus), an Association working for facilitating and fostering Tamil scholars all over the world. Being well travelled all over the country, Ganesan was well versed with different languages including Hindi, Tamil, English, Telegu and Malayalam. He was gifted in music and could compose lyrics instantly on various themes.
As a person, simplicity, honesty, humility, benevolence and patriotism defined Ganesan so aptly. He was also gifted as an eloquent orator, with a touch of humour and a powerful debater and was therefore a respected and formidable public figure.
Ganesan was appointed as the Governor of Manipur by the President of India from August 27, 2021 till February 19, 2023 and was given additional charge as Governor of West Bengal from July 18, 2022 to November 17, 2022.
Ganesan took oath as the Governor of Nagaland on February 20, 2023 and was serving the people of the state and the country as a whole till he breathed his last on the evening of August 15, 2025 at Chennai.
In respect to his service, the Nagaland government declared a seven-day state mourning period from August 16 to 22. During this time, the National Flag will be flown at half-mast on all government buildings in Nagaland and public entertainment events have been cancelled.
