Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ – a month-long program being organised in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh today.
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.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister expressed delight upon the gathering being held in the most ancient living city in the world.
Importance of Sangams in India
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.
Kashi and Tamil Nadu are timeless centres of our culture
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.
Throwing light on the rich culture and traditions of India, the Prime Minister said that both these places are marked as the birthplace and workplace of India’s finest acharyas.
He underlined that one can experience similar energies in Kashi and Tamil Nadu. He said, “Even today the relevance of Kashi Yatra comes up during the traditional Tamil marriage procession.”
He underlined that unending love for Kashi from Tamil Nadu signifies the feeling of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat which was the way of life of our ancestors.
Tamil Nadu’s contribution to Kashi
The Prime Minister underlined Tamil Nadu’s contribution to the development of Kashi and recalled that Tamil Nadu-born Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan was the Vice Chancellor of BHU.
He also mentioned the Vedic scholar Rajeshwar Shastri who lived in Kashi even though he had his roots in Tamil Nadu. He said that the people of Kashi also miss Pattaviram Shastri who lived on Hanuman Ghat in Kashi.
The Prime Minister informed about the Kashi Kaam Koteshwar Panchayatan Mandir which is a Tamilian temple on the banks of Harishchandra Ghat, and the two-hundred-year-old Kumarswamy Matt and Markande Ashram on Kedar Ghat.
He also stated that many people from Tamil Nadu have been living near the banks of Kedar Ghat and Hanuman Ghat, and have made immense contributions towards Kashi for several generations.
Subramania Bharathi lived in Kashi for many Years
The Prime Minister also mentioned the great poet and revolutionary, Shri Subramania Bharathi who hailed from Tamil Nadu but lived in Kashi for many years. He informed about BHU’s pride and privilege in establishing the chair dedicated to Subramania Bharati.
The Prime Minister underlined that the Kashi-Tamil Sangam is taking place during the Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal. He said, “In Amrit Kaal, our resolutions will be fulfilled by the unity of the whole country.”
He stated that India is a nation which has lived a natural cultural unity for thousands of years.
Throwing light on the tradition of remembering 12 Jyotirlingas after waking up in the morning, the Prime Minister said that we start our day by remembering the spiritual unity of the country.
Shri Modi also lamented the lack of efforts to strengthen this tradition and heritage of thousands of years.
Significance of Kashi-Tamil Sangamam for National Unity
He further added that Kashi-Tamil Sangamam will become a platform for this resolution today while making us realise our duties, and being a source of energy to strengthen national unity.
The Prime Minister said that it was through this attitude of breaking language and surpassing the intellectual distance that Swami Kumargurupar came to Kashi and made it his Karmbhoomi and got Kedareshwar Mandir constructed in Kashi.
Later, his disciples got Kashi Vishwanath temple constructed in Thanjavur on the banks of river Kaveri.
The Prime Minister reiterated the link between Tamil scholars and Kashi by mentioning personalities like Manonmaniyam Sundaranar who wrote a Tamil State song and the connection of his guru with Kashi.
The Prime Minister also remembered the role of Ramayana and Mahabharata written by Raja ji in connecting the North and the South.
“This is my experience that without understanding scholars from South India like Ramanujacharya, Shankaracharya, Raja Ji to Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, we simply can not understand Indian philosophy”, Shri Modi said.
Panch Pran Pledge
Referring to ‘Panch Pran’, the Prime Minister said that a country with a rich heritage should be proud of its legacy.
He said despite having one of the world’s oldest living languages, i.e. Tamil, we lack in honouring it fully. “This is the responsibility of 130 crore Indians to preserve the legacy of Tamil and enrich it.
If we ignore Tamil we do a great disservice to the nation and if we keep Tamil confined in restrictions we will do great harm to it. We have to remember to remove linguistic differences and establish emotional unity”, the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister said that the Sangamam is a matter of experiencing more than the words and expressed the hope that people of Kashi will leave no stone unturned in providing memorable hospitality.
The Prime Minister expressed the wish that such events are organised in Tamil Nadu and other Southern states and youngsters from other parts of the county visit and absorb the culture there.
The gains of this sangamam need to be taken forward through research and this seed should become a giant tree, the Prime Minister concluded.
Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Smt Anandiben Patel, Union Ministers Dr L Murugan, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, and Member of Parliament, Shri Ilaiyaraaja were those present on the occasion among others
Background: Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
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 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.