Varanasi: Ilayaraja, a famous musician and member of the Rajya Sabha, said that he was surprised to see the idea of Prime Minister Modi to hold the Tamil Sangam program in the holy land of Kashi.
The Kashi Tamil Sangam program is organized by the Department of Culture of the Central Government at Banaras University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The event, which is held in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of India’s independence, will be held till the 16th of next month. Prime Minister Modi formally inaugurated the program today (Saturday).
Famous music composer and member of Rajya Sabha Ilayaraja participated in the program. Speaking in the program, he said: “Dear Tamils who are participating in the festival.. Residents of Kashi, I wish to express my happy greetings to all of you who have come to see the events of this Kashi Tamil Sangam, which the world is marveling at. They were here explaining how much connection there is between Kashi city and Tamil.
Bharatiyar has studied here for two years. Bharatiyar, who learned the things he learned here and saw and heard the debates of the great poets here, has sung that at a time when there is no progress in India, we will make a tool to listen to the debates of the poets of Kashi Nagar. “Let’s switch from Ganges wheat to Cauvery betel. Let’s plant crops in central countries due to excess water flowing in Bengal,” he sang about it at the age of 22, even before there was a river-water link.
It is a very rare thing for Tamil people that such a Bharatiyar has studied here for two years from the age of nine to eleven. Also, I would like to tell you something that is not yet mentioned here that you don’t know. Kabir sang “Doha” which is sung in two steps. Thiruvalluvar composed a two-step song called Thirukkural in Tamil. “Doha” consists of eight sirs. There are only seven sirs in Thirukkural. The first step is four seers, the second step is three seers. We have to compare this too. Kabirdas wrote 1330 hymns to sing about the spirituality of the world in the form of 1330 songs in three parts: charity, charity and pleasure.
Let me tell you one more thing here. Muthuswami Dikshitar One of the trinity hailed as the father of Carnatic music, Muthuswami Dikshitar came here and when he woke up from drowning in the river Ganges, Goddess Saraswati had gifted him with a veena and that veena is still there. Here I also inform that it is kept in the museum.
I am amazed at how our Prime Minister thought of holding a Tamil Sangam in this proud city of Kashi. (Ilayaraja, who now calls Modi ji, speaks to him in English.) Modi ji I am unable to fully express my feelings. I am amazed at how you came up with the idea of holding this Tamil confluence in this holy land of Kashi. May the almighty bless you with long life and abundant fame. Hello.” Ilayaraja spoke thus.