Kashi-Tamil Sangamam is an initiative by the Government of India as a part of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” and to uphold the Spirit of “Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat”
The Kashi-Tamil Sangamam will be centered 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 by the subject experts.
In addition to the above, the art, culture, cuisine, handlooms, handicrafts, etc of Tamil Nadu will be exhibited, and cultural performance like Bharatanatyam dance, Carnatic music / Tamil music, Tamil folk music, Nadaswaram music concert, Thevaaram thiruvaasagam in Tamil music form, Debate on Kamba Ramayana, Villu-paattu, Bommalaatum, Silambaattum, Kaavadi Attam, Karagam, Pattimandram, Tamil folk dances Karagattam, Poikkal Kuthirai, Thappaattam, etc organized in specially designated locations for people of Varanasi to savour.
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 to Varanasi and its neighboring 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 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 will be taken in one group for a period of 8 days. 12 such groups, comprising around 2500 people will visit over a month. Groups would leave from three cities – Rameshwaram, Chennai, and Coimbatore – in special railway coaches attached to regular trains.
At the end of the Sangamam, the people of Tamil Nadu shall get an immersive experience of Kashi and the people of Kashi shall also get to know the cultural richness of Tamil Nadu through a healthy exchange of knowledge-sharing experiences through events, visits, conversations, etc.
Website Link: https://kashitamil.iitm.ac.in