Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah attended the closing ceremony of Kashi-Tamil Sangamam programme as the Chief Guest in Varanasi today

Ministry of Education

Posted On: 16 DEC 2022 9:58PM by PIB Delhi

Key Highlights

Prime Minister inaugurated month-long Kashi Tamil Sangamam on 19th November, 2022

Kashi Tamil Sangamam was organised as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to uphold the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was the inspiration behind the Kashi Tamil Sangamam- Shri Yogi Adityanath

This festival is reviving the thousand of years old close relationship between Kashi and Tamil Nadu- Shri R. N  Ravi

Kashi Tamil Sangamam inaugurated by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has strengthened the bonds of unity and furthered the spirit of oneness like never before. – Shri Dharmendra Pradhan

Kashi Tamil Sangam takes the idea of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat forward – Shri G Kishan Reddy

The month-long Kashi Tamil Sangamam concluded on  Friday, December 16, 2022, with a grand celebration. On this momentous occasion hosted at the BHU Amphitheatre, Shri Amit Shah, Union Minister for Home and Cooperation was the Chief Guest.

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath, Governor of Tamil Nadu Shri Ravindra Narayan Ravi, Union Minister for Education & Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region of India Shri G. Kishan Reddy and Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan and other dignitaries attended the closing ceremony.

In his address, Shri Amit Shah said that today, in a way, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Kashi-Tamil Sangamam is witnessing the conclusion, but it is not the conclusion, but it is the beginning of meeting of cultures the two peaks of Indian culture that is  culture, philosophy, language and knowledge of  Tamil Nadu  and Kashi city  which is  well recognized all over the world. He said that these efforts should have been made immediately after Independence because a long period of slavery had tarnished our cultural unity, diversity of heritage and essence  of Indianness across the cultures, which required rejuvenation. Shri Shah said that Prime Minister  Narendra Modi has tried for the rejuvenation of Indian cultural unity in the year of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

The Union Home Minister said that India is a country with many cultures, languages, dialects and arts, but its soul is one. He said that all the countries in the world have been formed on basis of geopolitical reasons, but India is the only Nation formed on the basis of geo-culture, heritage and culture. Shri Shah said that the various cultures are the foundation of our country’s unity and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tried to connect the cultures of our country through the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, which will continue forever.

Shri Amit Shah said that after Independence, a time came when India’s cultural unity was being poisoned, and efforts were made to divide the two societies of the same country through many differing ideas. Shri Shah said that it is now time to ensure the creation‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ and for this the cultural unity of India is essential. He said that this program has helped create a bridge between the two peaks of India’s culture, to ensure that the distances are erased, and paving a way for the cultural renaissance of India. Shri Shah said that through this program many arts forms of Tamil Nadu have got a platform in Kashi. He said that Kashi–Tamil Sangamam, has become a wonderful platform for exchange of spiritual, cultural, architecture, literature, trade, education, art, dance, music and languages. The Union Home Minister said that through Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, the entire North India and all Indians have come to know that Tamil is one of the oldest languages in the world. He said that the program has been a great initiative to combine many aspects of both the cultures and the effort has given a message to Tamil Nadu. He told the people of Tamil Nadu that the whole of India is ready to welcome you wholeheartedly.

 Shri Shah said that this great country from Northeast to Gujarat, Bengal and Kerala is heartily ready to welcome Tamil brothers and sisters. He said that there is a similarity between faith and love, and no force can create it. Shri Shah said that today the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam has ensured the creation a new atmosphere of trust and love between the two cultures and this is the biggest achievement of the year of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Shri Amit Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made extensive arrangements in the New Education Policy to present the country’s spiritual pride and knowledge tradition in front of the world through its language and culture with the help of the students of India. He said that our own languages and the pride in them are the soul of the New Education Policy, and that is why Prime Minister Modi has urged in the New Education Policy that the Mother tongue should be the medium of education. The Union Home Minister urged the Tamil Nadu Government to ensure that medical, technical and law education in the State is conducted in Tamil language, so that Tamil language becomes even more strong.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Yogi Adityanath said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was the inspiration behind the Kashi Tamil Sangamam. People from Tamil Nadu came here in separate groups over the course of a month, each group representing a distinct category. The two oldest cultures in the world were introduced to them, and they also witnessed the spirit of “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” .

Shri Ravindra Narain Ravi in his address said that this festival is reviving the close relationship between Kashi and Tamil Nadu which is more than thousands of years old.  Even though this festival is coming to an end today, this relationship will get stronger in the days to come. He further said that the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, was realized through this Sangamam and will get further strengthened, he added.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Pradhan expressed his gratitude to Union Minister for Home  Affairs and Cooperation Shri Amit Shah for his gracious presence, insightful address and guidance at this pious confluence of cultures. He said that the month-long Kashi Tamil Sangamam inaugurated by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has strengthened the bonds of unity and furthered the spirit of oneness like never before. It has also enriched us all and boosted our civilisational,  spiritual, cultural and knowledge capital, he added. The Minister thanked the people of Kashi and Tamil Nadu, BHU, IIT Madras and Government of Uttar Pradesh for making Kashi Tamil Sangamam a resounding success. Shri Pradhan said that the success of Kashi Tamil Sangamam is reflected in the fact that more than 2 lakh people visited the historic campus of BHU. At the same time lakhs of people remained connected through digital medium. More than 1500 artists from Tamil Nadu and Kashi, more than 300 distinguished guests, 75 experts participated in the programme.

Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region Shri G. Kishan Reddy said that the Sangam is a festival of India’s culture and strength. The Kashi Tamil Sangam represents the Sangam of Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga and Rameshwar Ramnath Swamy Jyotirlinga in Tamil Nadu. He further said that central government under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi is working continuously to improve spiritual and cultural connectivity. Kashi Tamil Sangam takes the idea of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat forward, he added.

On this occasion, the Tamil version of two books- ‘Modi @ 20: Dreams Meet Delivery’ and ‘Ambedkar and Modi: Reformer’s Idea Performer’s Work’ based on the resolve and accomplishment of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi were also released.

The mesmerizing performances by Tamil Nadu artist groups and local folk artists captivated the audience during the closing ceremony’s cultural programme.

Kashi Tamil Sangamam was organised as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to uphold the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the month-long festival on November 19, 2022. The vision was to revive the centuries-old bond between Tamil Nadu and Kashi. Over 2,500 delegates from Tamil Nadu, including cultural and folk artists, litterateurs, entrepreneurs, farmers, religious leaders, athletes, and others, attended the Kashi Tamil Sangamam festival in small groups. Apart from Kashi, Tamil Nadu delegations also visited Prayagraj and Ayodhya. Alongside various events in the fields of education, art and culture, literature, sports, and so on, the convention featured exhibitions of art, films, handlooms and handicrafts. In addition to Union ministers, Ministers of Uttar Pradesh Government and other dignitaries attended this month-long festival.

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