New Delhi, Jan 15: The third edition of cultural-exchange programme Kashi Tamil Sangamam will be held from February 15 to February 24, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced on Wednesday.
“The programme aims 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 10-day initiative will begin from February 15,” Pradhan told a press conference here.
The first edition of the month-long Kashi Tamil Sangamam was held in 2022 to revive the living bonds between Varanasi and Tamil Nadu. The second edition was organised from December 17 to December 30 in 2023. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras and the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) are the two implementing agencies for the programme.
This year, the government has decided to bring around 1,000 delegates from Tamil Nadu under five categories — Students, Teachers and Writers; Farmers and Artisans; Professionals and Small Entrepreneurs; Women (SHG, Mudra Loan beneficiaries, DBHPS pracharaks); Start-up, Innovation, Edu-Tech and Research.
An additional group of around 200 students of Tamil origin studying in various central universities will be a part of the event to enliven the bond between Kashi and Tamil Nadu.
“A total of 1,000 participants from Tamil Nadu, split in five groups of equal numbers, will take part in the event. They will be from different walks of life, including students, teachers, farmers, artisans, professionals and small entrepreneurs, besides women and researchers. Further, a batch of 200 Tamil students from all the central universities will also be part of the event and get to undertake local visits to Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya,” IIT-Madras Director V Kamakoti said.
A highlight of the third edition is that the event will coincide with the Maha Kumbh Mela, which is being held from January 13 to February 26. The delegates will have the opportunity for “Shahi Snan” or a holy dip during the Maha Kumbh Mela and a visit to the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The main theme of this edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam will highlight the significant contributions of Sage Agasthyar to the Siddha System of Medicine (Bharatiya Chikitsa), classical Tamil literature and the cultural unity of the country.
“His intellectual brilliance is the bedrock of Tamil language and literature as well as our shared values, knowledge traditions and heritage,” Pradhan said.(PTI)
