Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, December 17, 2023, said that Kashi and Tamil Nadu have shared an emotional and creative bond since time immemorial. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the second edition of Kashi Tamil Sangam at Namo Ghat, PM Modi said that while in other countries of the world, the nation has a political definition, India as a nation is full of spiritual beliefs.
“India has been united by saints like Adi Shankaracharya and Ramanujacharya, who awakened the national consciousness among people through their travels. Saints have been visiting Kashi for centuries. Through these journeys and pilgrimages, India has remained steadfast and immortal as a nation for thousands of years. And Kashi Tamil Sangamam is strengthening the spirit of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat”, stated the Prime Minister.
Earlier, PM Modi released various books on ancient Tamil texts translated into Braille language. He also flagged off the Kashi Tamil Sangam Express train from Kanyakumari railway station.
This weekly train has been started as a direct rail service between Kanyakumari and Varanasi.
For the first time, the Prime Minister addressed the programme in Tamil and Hindi simultaneously through AI technology for the first three minutes. At the outset of his speech, he greeted the guests from Tamil Nadu with ‘Vanakkam Kashi, Vanakkam Tamil Nadu’.
He described the guests as his family and said that coming to Kashi from Tamil Nadu means coming from one house of Mahadev to the other. “Coming to Kashi from Tamil Nadu means coming from Madurai Meenakshi to Kashi Vishalakshi. The love between the people of Tamil Nadu and Kashi is unique. The voice of Kashi Tamil Sangamam is spreading all over the world”, the PM said while congratulating all the ministries, the UP Government and the citizens of Tamil Nadu.
The Prime Minister said that Kashi Tamil Sangamam has become an effective platform for mutual dialogue and contact between different sections of society.”BHU and IIT Madras have also come together to make this Sangamam successful. IIT Madras has started Vidya Shakti initiative to provide online support in Maths to thousands of students of Varanasi. The many actions taken in a year bear testimony to the emotional and constructive ties between Kashi and Tamil Nadu”, PM remarked.
The Prime Minister said that this feeling of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat was visible when “we entered the new building of Parliament where the Holy Sengol has been installed.” He said that despite the diversity in terms of dialects, languages, costumes, food habits and lifestyle, Indians are one. The PM pointed out that the diversity of India is rooted in that spiritual consciousness, “for which it is said in Tamil that every water is Ganga water and every land of India is Kashi.”
He remarked further “When Kashi, the center of our faith, was being attacked by invaders from the north, King Parakram Pandeyan built temples in Tenkasi and Shivakasi saying that Kashi cannot be destroyed. You can look at any civilisation in the world. You will hardly find such an easy and noble form of intimacy in diversity anywhere. Recently, during the G20 Summit, the world was amazed to see this diversity of India.”
The Prime Minister said that through Kashi Tamil Sangamam, enthusiasm for their ancient traditions has increased among the youth of the country. “A large number of youth from Tamil Nadu are coming to Kashi. Special arrangements for darshan in Ayodhya have been made by the Uttar Pradesh government for the people coming to Kashi Tamil Sangamam”, the Prime Minister stated.
Giving the example of Kashi and Madurai, the Prime Minister said that both are great temple cities and pilgrimage sites with Madurai situated on the banks of Vaigai and Kashi on the banks of Gangai. Both Vaigai and Gangai have been written about in Tamil literature, he said.
He expressed confidence that this confluence of Kashi Tamil Sangam will continue to strengthen the country’s heritage and strengthen the spirit of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat. On this occasion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State Dr L. Murugan, former Union Minister P. Radhakrishnan, Director of IIT Madras Prof K, a social worker from Kamakoti, Tamil Nadu. Annamalai etc. were present.
