Tamil Nadu and Kashi share a living connect: Governor R.N. Ravi

Explore the enduring cultural bond between Tamil Nadu and Kashi at the Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0 event in IIT-Madras.

Until the end of the 18th Century, over 50,000 people travelled between Kashi and Rameswaram at a time when the population of India was not even 10 crore, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi said on Friday.

“There was no means of communication...people had to walk. My grandmother walked...millions of people walked,” he said at the curtain raiser event for ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0’. Sharing his views on the event, he said this would rejuvenate the ancient and enduring bond, which had lasted for thousands of years, between the Tamil people and Kashi. “The Tamil people have a several thousand-year-old connect, and it’s still alive. It is not a connect of the past,” he added.

The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) will host the third edition of ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’, organised by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, from February 15 to 24. The event aims to highlight the cultural ties between the two key centres of learning and culture in ancient India, fostering people-to-people connections across various fields.

Elaborating on Tamil Nadu’s participation in the event, V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT-M, said: “A total of 1,000 participants from Tamil Nadu will be taking part in the event. Over 20,000 registrations have been received for the event so far.”

A highlight of this year will be that the event coincides with the Maha Kumbh Mela, which began on January 13 and will go on till February 26. The delegates will have the opportunity for ‘Shahi Snan’, or a holy dip, during the Maha Kumbh Mela and also have a darshan at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The main theme of this edition of ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ will be to highlight the significant contributions of Sage Agasthyar to the Siddha System of Medicine (Bharatiya Chikistsa), classical Tamil literature, and to the cultural unity of the nation.