The fifth edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS) will focus on the promotion of the classical Tamil text Thirukkural, and 1,000 students selected through a test from colleges across the country will receive a month-long internship and a ₹10,000 stipend each to study it.
KTS will bring around 1,400 participants from Tamil Nadu to Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya for cultural, academic and spiritual exchanges from November 28 to December 12.
KTS is organised under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) programme to reinforce the historical and cultural connections between Kashi (Varanasi) and Tamil Nadu, two ancient centres of learning. Launched in October 2015, EBSB aims to enhance interaction and promote mutual understanding between people of different states and Union Territories (UTs).
The government pitches the initiative as a way to strengthen national unity through shared cultural heritage, with a particular emphasis on engaging young people with classical knowledge traditions.
Union education minister Pralhad Joshi, who launched the KTS 5.0 registration portal on Thursday, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised that India is one when “divisive forces” try to divide India along regional lines and on other issues. “...the Vishnu Purana, which is 5,000 years old, conveys that India is one. It was one in the past, it is one today, and it will remain one in the future,” Joshi said at the portal launch.
He said the event would help participants explore the historical links between Kashi and Tamil Nadu.
The theme
“Thirukkural Payilvom – Thirukkural Abhyas Karen,” or “Let us study the Thirukkural,” will be the KTS 5.0 theme. The classical Tamil text comprises 1,330 couplets on virtue, wealth and love, and is widely regarded as a source of ethical and moral teachings.
Joshi said awards have been instituted to encourage 1,000 students chosen to study the text through structured learning, research and campus activities.
According to the KTS website, the interns will read Thirukkural in a language they know and submit a research paper through their college on its moral values. “The Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT) will give a one-hour online orientation and a 20-minute question session.”
Students will be grouped into about 20 batches of 50, by the language they choose. “In their own college, under a guiding teacher, each student will give a one-hour presentation and learn and teach at least 10 important couplets, in Tamil and in translation. Learning material will be placed on the CICT website,” says the website.
Tamil scholars will visit schools and colleges in Varanasi to introduce students to the text through orientation modules, interactive sessions and quizzes as part of KTS 5.0. The National Book Trust, in collaboration with Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, will also organise school activities focused on reading, storytelling and creative engagement.
National Educational Technology Forum chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe said the fifth KTS edition aims to reconnect the social and cultural bonds between Kashi and Tamil Nadu that have existed since ancient times. He said the activities would help students learn about the Thirukkural’s values and the historical links between the two regions, reconnect with their cultural roots and develop a sense of pride in India’s heritage.
The Union education ministry said KTS 5.0 will leverage technology to make the teachings of the Thirukkural accessible to a wider audience across India.
The ministry is organising the event in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, the CICT, Banaras Hindu University, and the Uttar Pradesh government.
Dinesh Patel, a Varanasi schoolteacher who has been involved in activities during previous editions, said the initiative provides an opportunity for people from the two regions to understand each other’s traditions and faith.
“The idea is to foster mutual love and goodwill and help people understand each other’s culture,” Patel said. He added that cultural familiarity could encourage trade, citing the popularity of Banarasi silk sarees in Tamil Nadu.
Patel said students participate in quizzes and other competitions, with activities organised at school, block and district levels. He added that winners are felicitated. Patel said such engagement allows students to learn about the other region beyond the exchanges involving visiting delegates.
A national outreach initiative
The first Kashi Tamil Sangamam was held in 2022. The initiative’s concept note described it as Modi’s “brainchild” seeking to celebrate the historical connections between Kashi and Tamil Nadu and bring their cultural traditions into contemporary educational and public discourse.
The four previous editions facilitated an exchange of knowledge, language and traditions. The fifth edition builds on that approach by combining visits and cultural interactions with a nationwide educational initiative centred on the Thirukkural.
Eligible applicants from Tamil Nadu can register on the KTS portal from October 22 to November 13 under the categories of students, teachers, writers and media professionals, people from agriculture and allied sectors, professionals and artisans, women, and spiritual leaders.