Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kashi Tamil Sangamam 2023 in Namo Ghat on December 17, 2023, as part of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat program. The Kanyakumari – Varanasi Tamil Sangamam train will be flagged off at the ceremony.
Distinguished guests, including Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Anandiben Patel; Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan; Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, along with other dignitaries, will be present at the ceremony.
Scheduled from December 17th to 30th, 2023, the second phase of Kashi Tamil Sangamam will take place in the holy city of Kashi (Varanasi). The inaugural Tamil delegation, comprising nearly 1400 individuals organized into seven groups, representing diverse fields, departed from Chennai on December 15, 2023. These groups, named after seven sacred rivers of India, will travel from Chennai, Coimbatore, and Kanyakumari to Kashi.
The groups include Students (Ganga), Teachers (Yamuna), Professionals (Godavari), Spiritual (Saraswati), Farmers and Artisans (Narmada), Writers (Sindhu), and Traders and Businessmen (Kaveri). Over 42,000 registrations were received by the organizing committee, concluding on December 8, 2023. A meticulous selection process resulted in the selection of 200 participants for each group.
The Ministry of Education, Government of India, will oversee the event with collaboration from various ministries and departments, such as Culture, Tourism, Railways, Textiles, Food Processing (ODOP), MSME, Information & Broadcasting, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, IRCTC, and related departments of the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Building upon the success of the first phase, IIT Madras and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) will act as implementing agencies in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, respectively.
Cultural Fusion at Namo Ghat: Kashi Tamil Sangamam
The itinerary includes a 2-day outbound trip, a 2-day return trip to Banaras, and 1-day excursions to Prayagraj and Ayodhya. Stalls featuring art, culture, handlooms, handicrafts, cuisine, and other specialties of Tamil Nadu and Kashi will be established. Cultural programs blending the rich traditions of Tamil Nadu and Kashi will grace the Namo Ghat.
Additionally, seminars, discussions, lectures, and other knowledge-sharing sessions will cover literature, ancient texts, philosophy, spirituality, music, dance, drama, yoga, ayurveda, handloom, handicrafts, as well as modern innovations, business exchanges, EdTech, and next-generation technologies.
Experts and scholars from Tamil Nadu and Kashi, alongside local practitioners, will participate, fostering mutual learning and the emergence of practical knowledge and innovation. The first phase of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, organized from November 16 to December 16, 2022, saw more than 2500 participants from Tamil Nadu exploring different facets of life in and around Varanasi during an 8-day tour facilitated by the Ministry of Education.