Shri R.N. Ravi, Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu flagged off the train journey of the first contingent of 216 delegates for Kasi Tamil Sangamam on 17th of November from Chennai Egmore railway station in the august presence of Dr L.Murugan, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry.
More details:
- Shri R.N. Ravi interacted with the Kashi Tamil Sangamam Selection Committee Members-Industrialist Dr.Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti, Dr SudhaSeshayyan,Vice-Chancellor The TamilnaduDr.M.G.R. Medical University, Shri V.Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras and Professor Dr. MohansankarSivaprakasam, IIT Madras, Social & cultural activist Mr. Mohammad Asif Ali. The Governor interacted with the student delegates and congratulated them for being a part of the initiative to revive and reaffirm Tamil Nadu’s cultural and historic links with Kashi.
- Of the delegates forming the first contingent to Kashi Tamil Sangamam, 35 boarded the Train No.22535 Rameswaram – Varanasi Express at Rameswaram, 103 delegates boarded at Tiruchchirappalli and 78 delegates joined at Dr MGR Chennai Egmore. All the delegates were students from various educational institutions from across Tamil Nadu.
- Students from various eminent institutions like IIT Madras expressed pride in joining the initiative and that they look forward to the learning experience that theKashi Tamil Sangamam would offer.
- The delegates expressed happiness for the opportunity extended to them by the Govt. of India to participate in the Kashi Tamil Sangamam. The students will participate in various cultural events showcasing the rich tradition and culture of Tamil Nadu like Villupaatu, Bharatanatyam, folk dance, Kaliyattam etc. in Varanasi during their stay.
- Shri B.G.Mallya, Additional General Manager, Southern Railway, Shri Ganesh, Divisional Railway Manager, Chennai, and other Officers and Staff of Southern Railway, officials of IRCTC and IIT-Madras participated in the event at Chennai Egmore.
Kashi Tamil Sangamam:
- Kashi Tamil Sangamam is an initiative by the Government of India as a part of “Azadika Amrit Mahotsav” and to uphold, revive and reaffirm the spirit of mutual bonding among diverse cultures.
- The month-long KashiSangamam events is being organized by the Ministry of Education in partnership with IIT Madras and Banaras Hindu University.The month-long programme aims to create an understanding of our shared heritage and deepen the people-to-people bond between the regions.
- Tamil Nadu and Kashi, and the area around it, are two of the oldest and most important of such centres. Both these centres have been fountainheads of knowledge in the intellectual, cultural, spiritual and artisanal realms.
- Varanasi, known popularly as Kashi in Tamil Nadu, is one of the oldest living cities of the world, endowed with a civilizational and cultural continuum that is unparalleled. Knowledge, philosophy, culture, devotion to Gods, literature, Indian arts and crafts have all flourished in this holy city.
- Tamil Nadu on the other hand is another cradle of culture, arts, crafts, literature, with a wealth of knowledge available in Tamil language, which is the most ancient language in the world.
- Hence exploring and rediscovering the links between these two centres can lead to the creation of important bodies of knowledge both in the intellectual and practical realms. Kashi Tamil Sangamam is held so that the people belonging to these two cultures can appreciate and strengthen the bonds amongst themselves.
Source: Southern Railway- Press Release | images Credit: MoR
