Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 17 (ANI): As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to inaugurate the month-long program Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, the preparations for the same are in full swing.
The Prime Minister will inaugurate Kashi Tamil Sangamam on Saturday.
Speaking to ANI, a local resident of Kashi, Vikash Shah hailed the initiative of Prime Minister Modi of connecting the southern party of India with the northern.
“Before being a prime minister, Narendra Modi is our MP and it is a matter of pride for us. Where in India people elect MPs and we have elected an MP as the prime minister. PM Modi has such a bond with Varanasi that we cannot describe it in our words. He has a lot of faith in religion and because of this, he built the grand corridor of Kashi Vishwanath. After 350 years, PM Modi is the first person after Ahilyabai Holkar to do something for the Kashi. Because of his kindness, today tourists from all over the world are coming to Kashi to visit Maa Ganga. There has been a very enlightening development of Kashi which you can experience yourself,” said Shah.
Another local Nityananad Rai said that this is a very good initiative to connect the people living in the Southern part of the country to the people living in the Northern part.
“We are all ready to welcome PM Modi. This is a very good initiative to connect the people living in the Southern part of the country to the people living in the Northern part. Due to his style of work, tourists from all over the world are coming to Kashi,” said Rai in Varanasi.
There is a distance between the people of South and North and this will reduce the gap.
He further said that this initiative should be expedited and such celebrations should continue to happen in future as well.
“We Kashi residents heartily welcome such celebrations,” he added.
Ujjwal Mishra, a local said, “Kashi is a big religious place, where people from all across the world come here. Kashi has always been a very close religious place to the people of South and Tamil. But no other government or party thought about this initiative earlier. Congress was in power for so long but they never did anything like this. PM Modi is doing it for everyone, but what he has done for South and Tamilians is commendable.”
Varanasi Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma said that all preparations are going on for the Tamil Sangamam.
“All preparations are going on for the Tamil Sangamam. Every work is in the last stage. Be it the work of welcoming the people of Tamil, putting up the hoardings, be it the decorations, all the work is going on like it was done on Dev Deepawali. We now just have to connect local people with the people coming from Tamil Nadu. This work has also started,” said Varanasi Commissioner.
He said that people from all across the country live in Kashi and everyone will welcome the Tamil people here.
“Those people from other states and the local people of Kashi will welcome all our Tamil brothers. We are planning that they feel a bond with the people of kasha, to provide behavioural support to and make Kashi worthy of welcome,” he said.
“How the Tamil people feel connected with the people of Kashi, this effort is also started today. Along with preparing for the programme, we have also started working on how the local people can show the spirit of Indianness, language and cultural connectivity to the people coming here for one month,” said Sharma.
Other preparations for the Prime Minister’s programme are also running smoothly.
Strengthening the vision of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat’, the Prime Minister will formally inaugurate the month-long Kashi-Tamil Samagam in Varanasi on Saturday. The event will pave the way for rediscovering the centuries-old bond of knowledge and ancient civilisational linkage between the North and the South.
The Yogi Adityanath government in the state has swung into action to organise the ‘Kashi-Tamil Samagam’ in the holy city of Varanasi on a grand note and to give a glimpse of the Dravidian culture as well as the culture, cuisine and music of Tamil Nadu to the people of Uttar Pradesh.
About 75 stalls showcasing the cultural diversity of Tamil Nadu are taking shape at the Amphitheater Ground of BHU in Varanasi. The stalls will display the products, handicrafts and handlooms of Tamil Nadu. Apart from this, an exhibition depicting the struggle of freedom fighters will also be organised. An exhibition by the National Book Trust, another by the Central Institute of Languages and a public conversation will also be organised. As many as 51 cultural programmes will be held during the 30-day Kashi Tamil Samagam.
Cultural programmes showcasing the culture of Tamil Nadu mainly include Meenakshi Chittaranjan’s Bharatanatyam, folk music of Tamil Nadu, Irula and other tribal dances and Villupatta, an ancient musical story-telling. It also features mythological historical drama, puppet shows based on the Shiva Purana, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
On November 19, after the formal inauguration of the event by the Prime Minister, around 2500 to 3000 people in 12 different groups from Tamil Nadu are expected to reach Varanasi. The journey of each group will be of 8 days, including 2 days of travel from Tamil Nadu to Varanasi.
The team will stay in Varanasi for two days and visit Hanuman Ghat famous for Ganga Snan, Subrahmanya Bharti’s residence, Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Sarnath Archaeological Site & Museum, Ganga Aarti and also take a boat tour of the 84 ghats and take part in the cultural programme at BHU in the evening. After Varanasi, a trip to Prayagraj and Ayodhya is also proposed.
For this, additional 3 special coaches will be attached to 3 trains from Rameshwaram, Chennai and Coimbatore. The nodal ministry for the programme is the Ministry of Education. IIT Chennai and Banaras Hindu University have been appointed as the nodal institutes for the programme.
The stays of the different groups in Varanasi have been scheduled. Students will stay from 19th to 20th November, the handicraftsmen’s group from 22nd to 23rd November, the litterateurs from 23rd to 24th November, people associated with spirituality from 26th to 27th, businessmen from 30th November to 1st December, people associated with the field of education from 2nd to 3rd December, people associated with heritage on 4th and 5th December, new entrepreneurs on 7th and 8th December and professionals on 8th and 9th December.
Besides, a team of temple priests and mahants will join the Kashi Tamil Samagam on December 10 and 11, to be followed by farmers on December 13 and 14 and cultural workers on December 15 and 16. On the second day of the tour, these sub-groups will have 3-hour theme-related programmes, out of which 7 programmes will be organized at BHU, 2 programmes at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple and 3 programmes at Trade Facilitation Center. (ANI)
This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.