A month long “Kashi Tamil Sangamam” is to be organized in Varanasi (Kashi) from 16th November to 19th December,2022 during which academic exchanges – seminars, discussions etc will be held between experts/ scholars on various facets of the two ancient manifestations of Indian Culture, with focus on bringing out the links and shared values between the two. The Sangamam to be organised under the overall framework and spirit of “Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat” will create a bridge between ancient India and contemporary generation. Kashi Sangamam will rediscover the link between these two ancient centres of knowledge, culture and heritage. The broader objective is to bring the two Knowledge and Cultural traditions closer, create and understanding of our shared heritage and deepen the people-to-people bond between the regions.
In this fascinating exchange program by Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti (BBS), groups of people from Tamil Nadu get an immersive experience of the ancient city of Kashi and on the same lines groups from Kashi (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh) also get to know the cultural richness of Tamil Nadu through a sort of an exchange program to rediscover the age-old links between the Tamil culture and Kashi that has existed since centuries.
Academic exchanges – seminars, discussions etc will be held between experts/ scholars on various facets of the two ancient manifestations of Indian Culture, with focus on bringing out the links and shared values between the two.
Announcing the Sangamam at a press conference, Union minister of education,Dharmendra Pradhan said that India is a symbol of civilizational connectivity. Pradhan informed that Kashi-Tamil Sangamam will be centred around a series of themes that cover various facets of knowledge – literature, ancient texts, philosophy, spirituality, music, dance, drama, yoga, Ayurveda, handlooms, handicrafts as well as the modern innovations, trade exchanges, edutech and other gen next technology etc. Seminars, discussions, lectures, lec-dems etc will be held on these themes, for which subject experts will be invited. This shall be unique learning experience for students, scholars, academics, practising professionals, etc. on various facets of Indian Knowledge Systems, Education & Training Practices, Arts & Culture, Language, Literature, etc, he added.
To ensure that the benefit of these discussions reaches the actual practitioners of these knowledge streams, it is proposed that in addition to experts, common practitioners from various groups from different parts of Tamil Nadu, can be brought for an 8-day visit of Varanasi and its neighbouring areas. Tentatively, 12 such groups have been identified including students, teachers, literary (authors, poets, publishers), cultural experts, professionals (practicing arts, music, dance, drama, folk art, yoga, Ayurveda), entrepreneurs, (SMEs, start-ups) business people, (community business groups, hoteliers,) artisans, heritage related experts (archaeologists, tour guides, bloggers etc) spiritual, rural, sampradaya organizations. These people will participate in the academic programs, interact with people of Varanasi associated with the same field, and visit places of interest in and around Varanasi.
It is proposed that around 210 people from different parts of Tamil Nadu can be taken in one group for a period of 8 days. 12 such groups, comprising around 2500 people can visit over a month.
