Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, a month-long celebration with the objective to “rediscover, reaffirm and celebrate the age-old links between Tamil Nadu and Kashi – two of the country’s most important and ancient seats of learning.”
“Sangam plays a very vital role in our country, from sangam (confluence) of rivers, knowledge and thoughts. This Sangamam is the celebration of India’s diverse cultures,” PM Modi said in his address.
Kashi Tamil Sangamam is being organized by the Ministry of Education, Government of India in collaboration with ministries of Culture, Textiles, Railways, Tourism, Food Processing, I&B etc and the government of UP.
“The programme aims to provide an opportunity for scholars, students, philosophers, traders, artisans, artists and people from other walks of life from the two regions to come together, share their knowledge, culture and best practices and learn from each others’ experience. The endeavour 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,” the Education Ministry said.
The ministry further informed that over 2500 delegates from Tamil Nadu under 12 categories such as students, teachers, literature, culture, artisans, spiritual, heritage, business, entrepreneurs, professionals etc will be visiting Varanasi and participate in seminars, lec dems, site visits etc.
“Students of BHU and other Higher Educational Institutions will be participating in the academic programmes. They will study the comparative practices pertaining to various sectors in the two regions and document the learnings…Along with this, a month long exhibition of handlooms, handicrafts, ODOP products, books, documentaries, cuisine, art forms, history, tourist places etc of the two regions will be put up in Varanasi for the benefit of the local people,” an official statement said.