Tamil Nadu marked Republic Day on Friday with a colourful function at the Marina beachfront in Chennai in the presence of hundreds of people.
The national flag was hoisted by Governor SS Barnala in the presence of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. A colourful march past, tableaux, a fly past by military aircraft added to the glamour of the occasion.
The Anna Awards were given away for bravery, the Jeevan Raksha awards to those who did exceptional relief work after the December 2004 tsunami and the Mahatma Gandhi awards were given to those involved in curbing illicit liquor use.
Among the prominent Tamils given national awards were surgeon Mayilvahanan Natarajan, educationist N Mahalingam and film lyricist Vaali.
The chief minister praised cricketer Dinesh Karthik for his performance in the Cuttack ODI.