Kashi Tamil Sangamam 4.0, led by the Education Ministry under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, strengthens historic Tamil–Kashi ties. I promote cultural exchange and national unity. New additions include the Learn Tamil campaign to deepen community connect.
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Picture Courtesy: NEWSONAIR
The Ministry of Education to organize the fourth edition of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS 4.0), starting on December 2, 2025.
It is an annual cultural initiative by the Government to celebrate, rediscover, and strengthen the age-old civilizational bonds between Tamil Nadu and Kashi (Varanasi).
Launched in 2022, as a key component of the 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' initiative, which aims to promote national integration through cultural exchange.
The fourth Sangamam begins on December 2, 2025, expanding its scale and focus on linguistic and academic exchange, building on past success.
Theme: KTS 4.0's theme, “Let Us Learn Tamil – Tamil Karkalam,” promotes all Indian languages as one "Bharatiya Bhasha family" to boost appreciation for India's classical linguistic heritage.
New Initiatives: A structured program to teach Tamil to around 1,500 students in Varanasi schools. 300 college students from Uttar Pradesh will visit Tamil Nadu in 10 batches to learn Tamil language.
Kashi and Tamil Nadu share a centuries-old bond, linked by religion, trade, and intellectual exchange.
Religious Significance: The 15th-century Pandyan King, Parakrama Pandya, established the Kasi Viswanathar Temple in Tenkasi (Southern Kashi) for devotees who could not travel to Varanasi.
Intellectual Exchange: For centuries, a visit to Kashi was considered essential for scholars in Southern India to complete their higher education.
Cultural Imprints: Many Tamil spiritual leaders, poets, and scholars like Subramania Bharathi and saint Kumaraguruparar have settled in or traveled to Kashi, establishing mutts and contributing to the city's intellectual life.
It was launched by the Prime Minister on October 31, 2015, on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
It aims to strengthen the spirit of national integration by establishing deep and structured cultural connections between different states and Union Territories of India.
Under this initiative, states are paired to promote sustained and structured cultural connections in areas like language, literature, cuisine, festivals, and tourism.
Various activities are organized to promote connectivity between the states:
This initiative is a strategic effort to strengthen national unity while appreciating cultural pluralism.
Source: NEWSONAIR
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Critically analyze the Kashi Tamil Sangamam initiative as a tool for fostering national integration under the 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' framework. 150 words |
Its primary objective is to foster a deeper sense of national integration by creating a platform for the people and knowledge traditions of Tamil Nadu and Kashi to interact, share, and learn from each other, in line with the 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' vision.
The connection is centuries old, rooted in spiritual pilgrimages (like the one to the Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram), royal patronage (like King Parakrama Pandya building the Tenkasi temple), and scholarly exchanges by figures like Sant Kumara Gurupara and Subramania Bharathi.
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