Overview of Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan’s Visit to Puducherry, Kerala & TN from December 29 to 30, 2025

Vice President (VP) of India C.P. Radhakrishnan visited Puducherry, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu (TN) from December 29 to 30, 2025, where he took part in cultural, educational, social, and development-related programmes.

Highlights of VP C.P. Radhakrishnan’s Visits:

Visit to Puducherry:

Arrival: On December 29, 2025, VP Radhakrishnan was welcomed with an official civic reception, marking his first visit to Puducherry as VP of India.

• K. Kailashnathan, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, and Chief Minister (CM) of Puducherry N. Rangasamy and other dignitaries were also present.

Inauguration: He inaugurated the Senior Secondary Block at Petit Seminaire Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) School in Puducherry.

Launch: Launched a housing project under the Smart City Mission and distributed the keys of 216 newly constructed tenements to beneficiaries at Kumaragurupallam in Puducherry.

Tribute: During the visit, VP Radhakrishnan unveiled the statue of Mahakavi Subramania Bharati at the Bharatiyar Memorial in Puducherry and paid floral tributes to the legendary poet and freedom fighter.

Chief Guest: Attended the 30th Convocation of Pondicherry University (PU) as the Chief Guest.

About Smart City Mission(SCM): It is a flagship urban development programme of the Government of India (GoI), launched on 25 June 2015 under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), with an aim to develop 100 smart, sustainable cities with better urban services and quality of life.

• It was launched with a budget of Rs.48,000 crores for a period of 5 years.

Visit to Kerala:

Trivandrum Fest 2025: During the visit, VP Radhakrishnan participated in Trivandrum Fest 2025, celebrated as the Christmas-New Year Peace Carnival, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The festival is organized by the South Kerala Diocese of the Church of South India in association with the Assembly of Christian Trust Services.

• The event was attended by Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Governor of Kerala, religious leaders, public representatives, artists, and other dignitaries.

Sivagiri Pilgrimage: On December 30, 2025, he inaugurated the 93rd Sivagiri Pilgrimage, an annual event, at Sivagiri Mutt in Varkala, Kerala, and paid homage at the Samadhi of Sree Narayana Guru.

Books Release: During the visit, he also released four books such as

• “The Sage Who Re-imagined Hinduism: The Life, Lessons and Legacy of Sree Narayana Guru”, authored by Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament (MP).
• “Sree Narayana Gurudeva Divya Leelamrutham” by Brahmasree Swami Satchidananda
• “Naam Arivakannu”, prepared by the University of Kerala as part of the 93rd Sivagiri Pilgrimage Workshop
• “Empowering Minds and Transforming Lives: Sree Narayana Guru’s Philosophy of Education and Skill Development” by Professors Dr. Prakash Divakaran and Dr. Suresh Kumar Madhusudhan.

Mar Ivanios College: He also attended the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations (75 years) of Mar Ivanios College as the Chief Guest in Thiruvananthapuram.

Visit to Tamil Nadu(TN):

Event: On December 30, 2025, VP Radhakrishnan addressed the valedictory function of Kashi Tamil Sangamam 4.0 as Chief Guest in Rameshwaram, TN.

• R.N. Ravi, Governor of TN, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Ministry of Education (MoE), Union Minister of State (MoS) L. Murugan, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) were also present at the event.

About Kashi Tamil Sangamam: It is a cultural and spiritual exchange programme between Kashi (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, UP) and TN, with an aim to promote national integration, celebrate India’s shared heritage, and strengthen the bond between North and South India.

• It was launched on 19 November 2022 by the Government of India (GoI) under the MoE.

About Tamil Nadu (TN):
Chief Minister (CM) – Muthuvel Karunanidhi(M.K) Stalin
Governor – R.N. Ravi
Capital – Chennai
Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) – Kalakad WLS, Vallanadu Black Buck WLS