Varanasi : The Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ – a month-long programme being organised in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. The objective of the programme is to celebrate, reaffirm and rediscover the age-old links between Tamil Nadu and Kashi – two of the country’s most important and ancient seats of learning. More than 2500 delegates from Tamil Nadu will be visiting Kashi. During the programme, the Prime Minister also released a book ‘Tirukkural’ along with its translation into 13 languages. He also witnessed a cultural programme followed by aarti.
Union Education & Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, Governor of Uttar Pradesh Smt Anandiben Patel, Minister of Stat Dr L Murugan and Member of Parliament Ilaiyaraaja were those present on the occasion among others.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister expressed delight upon the gathering being held in the most ancient living city in the world. Speaking on the importance of Sangams in the country, be it the confluence of rivers, ideology, science or knowledge, the Prime Minister said that every confluence of culture and traditions is celebrated and revered in India. He remarked that in reality, it is a celebration of India’s might and characteristics, thus making the Kashi-Tamil Sangam unique.
Throwing light on the connection between Kashi and Tamil Nadu, the Prime Minister said that on one hand, Kashi is the cultural capital of India whereas Tamil Nadu and Tamil culture is the centre of India’s antiquity and pride. Drawing an analogy to the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, the Prime Minister said the Kashi-Tamil Sangam is equally holy which engulfs endless opportunities and strength in itself. The Prime Minister congratulated the Ministry of Education and the Government of Uttar Pradesh for this momentous gathering and thanked central universities like IIT, Madras and BHU for extending their support to the programme. The Prime Minister especially thanked the students and scholars of Kashi and Tamil Nadu.
The Prime Minister underlined that Kashi and Tamil Nadu are timeless centres of our culture and civilisation. He informed that both Sanskrit and Tamil are one of the most ancient languages that existed. The Prime Minister exclaimed, “In Kashi, we have Baba Vishwanath, while in Tamil Nadu we have the blessings of Lord Rameshwaram. Both Kashi and Tamil Nadu are immersed in Shiva.” Be it music, literature or art, the Prime Minister remarked that Kashi and Tamil Nadu have always been a source of art.
Background
The promotion of the idea of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ has been one of the major focus areas of the government guided by the vision of the Prime Minister. In yet another initiative reflecting this vision, ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’, a month-long programme, is being organised in Kashi (Varanasi).
The objective of the programme is to celebrate, reaffirm and rediscover the age-old links between Tamil Nadu and Kashi – two of the country’s most important and ancient seats of learning. The programme aims to provide an opportunity for people from all walks of life including scholars, students, philosophers, traders, artisans, artists etc.
from the two regions to come together, share their knowledge, culture and best practices and learn from each others’ experiences. More than 2500 delegates from Tamil Nadu will be visiting Kashi. They will participate in seminars, site visits etc to interact with local people of similar trade, profession and interest. A month-long exhibition of handlooms, handicrafts, ODOP products, books, documentaries, cuisine, art forms, history, tourist places etc of the two regions will also be put up in Kashi.
The endeavor is in sync with NEP 2020’s emphasis on integrating the wealth of Indian Knowledge Systems with modern systems of knowledge. IIT Madras and BHU are the two implementing agencies for the programme.