‘Not an end, but launch of Ek Bharat, Shreshth Bharat’

Varanasi: The fortnight-long Kashi Tamil Sangamam-2023, which witnessed participation of 1,500 Tamil delegates from different walks of life, concluded on Saturday. The closing day programme was held at the open-air theatre on Namo Ghat.Addressing the closing ceremony, Union minister of state for education, Subhash Sarkar, said, “As we gather here in the ancient city of Kashi and witness concluding session of Kashi Tamil Sangamam, we find ourselves at the confluence of two rich cultural streams, comprising Kashi and Tamil Nadu, which has been part of the tapestry of our country for centuries”. He said the Kashi Tamil Sangamam had not only broadened the horizons of the students, but also laid foundation of a harmonious and unified India. Further, the National Education Policy 2020, too emphasises diversity and the spirit of Ek Bharat–Shreshth Bharat.Union minister of state for education and external affairs, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh said second edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam was not a culmination, but actually the beginning of the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Ek Bharat–Shreshth Bharat. He said, “Kashi Tamil Sangamam represents both, antiquity and modernity. India is a laboratory of cultural confluence to re-establish the age-old relations between two historically important regions. Our culture is a unique blend that preserves traditions of our country while adapting to the rapid progress taking place across the world.” The closing ceremony was attended by UP ministers Dayashankar Mishra and Ravindra Jaiswal, IIT (BHU) director, Prof P K Jain and several other distinguished guests.The seventh and last batch of Tamil delegates, comprising businessmen and traders, reached Varanasi on Friday to take part in Kashi Tamil Sangamam and visited Hanuman Ghat on Saturday to offer prayers to the Ganga and at temples on the Ghat. They also visited the residence of Subrahmaniam Bharati and met his family members. During their stay in Kashi, as per their tour itinerary, they also visited Prayagraj and Ayodhya.The Tamil delegates in seven groups representing students, teachers, professionals, spiritual people, farmers and artisans, writers, and traders and businessmen travelled from different parts of Tamil Nadu to Kashi. The event was inaugurated by the PM Narendra Modi on December 17. Last year, the first edition of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam was organised from November 16 to December 16. Ministry of education is the nodal agency for the event, along with participation of ministries of culture, tourism, railways, textiles, food processing, ODOP, MSME, information & broadcasting, skill development & entrepreneurship, IRCTC and related departments of the government of Uttar Pradesh.Kashi Tamil Sangamam aims to celebrate, reaffirm and rediscover the age-old links between Tamil Nadu and Kashi, which are two of the country’s most important and ancient seats of learning.