Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, December 17, inaugurated the second edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam, which is witnessing the participation of 1,400 dignitaries from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Modi said that since the first edition of the Sangamam, many had joined in including farmers, artists, religious leaders, students, and persons from other walks of life.
"Coming to Kashi from Tamil Nadu means coming from one home of Mahadev to another. There is a link between the hearts of people from Kashi and Tamil Nadu. When you return, you will take back the culture, taste, and memories of Kashi with you," he said, adding that the Sangamam strengthens the concept of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'.
The Prime Minister's speech was simultaneously translated using an AI-based Tamil translation through Bhashini for those in the audience who understood Tamil.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also addressed the audience at the event. He said, "Due to the religious importance of Kashi, people from all over the country have been coming here. It is the centre of faith, culture and spiritual awareness in India. Like Kashi, Tamil Nadu has also been a centre of culture, knowledge, art, architecture and literature since ancient times," Adityanath added.
The Tamil delegation, comprising around 1,400 people will also visit Prayagraj and Ayodhya. The seven groups include students (Ganga), Teachers (Yamuna), Professionals (Godavari), Spiritual (Saraswati), Farmers and Artisans (Narmada), Writers (Sindhu), and Traders and Businessmen (Kaveri). All of them have been named after seven sacred rivers of India.
The Kashi Tamil Sangamam will encompass lectures covering literature, ancient texts, philosophy, spirituality, music, dance, drama, yoga, and Ayurveda. Additionally, seminars are planned on innovation, trade, knowledge exchange, edutech, and next-gen technology. Over 42,000 registrations were received during the time of registration that ended on December 8 and out of them, 200 people for each group were selected by the selection committee.
The Union Ministry of Education is the nodal agency for this event. The first phase of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam was organised from November 16 to December 16, 2022.
The Prime Minister also flagged off the Kashi Tamil Sangamam Express from Varanasi to Kanyakumari, on the occasion.