Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the ‘Kashi Tamil Sangam’ program in Varanasi on the 19th to revive the ancient civilizational bond between Tamil Nadu and Kashi.
The one-month long program till December 16 is jointly organized by IIT Chennai and Banaras Hindu University.
In this, selected representatives from Tamil Nadu, youth, students and many others participated. For this, 13 train services are operated to Kashi. 2,592 people are traveling from Tamil Nadu.
Amazed
Former Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan also traveled along with more than 200 students in the first train that departed from Rameswaram to Varanasi via Egmore.
Some supporters of the organization, including Nam Tamilar, also participated in this.
The Tamils who keep Vandar alive were welcomed with dances and chants all the way.
Everyone, including the Muslim brother who traveled in the group, was given a hearty welcome at every railway station such as Idrasi, Nagpur, Prayagraj, with wreaths, flowers, tilakam, crossing politics, caste, religion and religion.
Railway Tourism and Catering Corporation, IRCTC, under the supervision of the officials, provided excellent food and entertainment in the train and hotels.
The time the train reaches Varanasi will be past 1:00 AM.
Even then, many people like MLAs, MPs, police officials and people of the area came in large numbers and gave garlands to the beat of drums and gave them a red carpet welcome.
This left the Sangam participants in awe of Kanava, Nijama.
On the first day of Kashi Tamil Sangam, student representatives participated in the event inaugurated by Modi. Earlier, PM Modi took a group photo with the students.
An art show and exhibition was organized to make the northerners aware of Tamil traditional arts.
Next, Hanuman Ghat, Bharatiyar Residence, Kashi Vishwanath and Annapurani Temple, Ramnagar Fort Museum, Azad Chandrasekhar Park.
Swami Narayanan and Hanuman Temple, Ganga Aarti, Boat Ride, Triveni Sangam, Ayodhya Temple, Sarayu River etc. were visited by students and delegates.
Darshan was arranged for the Tamil Nadu team like VVIPs wherever they went. Vedic mantras were sung in every temple to welcome the crowd.
The students were taken to the Ayodhya Ram temple construction site, where only the construction workers and the police visited, and were briefed about the work being done there and the grand appearance of the existing Ram temple.
A political drama
All the students were taken in five specially arranged ‘battery’ powered ‘AC’ buses, flanked by police vehicles with ‘siren’ sounding in front and behind.
As there were no public transport vehicles in the surrounding area of Khasi, the people of the area were surprised to see the bus in which the team was traveling. Some even took selfies with the bus.
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One party describes the event as ‘an attempt to promote the long-standing cultural ties between Tamil Nadu and Varanasi’.
While another party said that it was a political play conducted with Tamil to promote Hindi in central educational institutions and competitive examinations, the students who participated in the Kashi Tamil Sangam, regardless of all that, saw the event beyond politics.
Why Prayagraj?
Interview by Govindarajan, a Tamil K. Tulasi, who translated the Sangha literature, Tirukkural, etc. in Hindi into Hindi and Tulsiramayanam in Hindi into Tamil: Allahabad has now been renamed as Prayagraj. Brahma came here and performed yagya. ‘Pra’ means first and ‘yak’ means sacrifice. Hence Prayag. At the place where the yagya was performed, there is a banyan tree called Atshayavadam. It remains immortal even during the period of service. Lord Vishnu sits on the leaf of the tree and is believed to save the world. The fort near the tree was built in 1583 during the Akbar period. After the Mughal period, the Nawab handed over the fort to the British. Prayag became Allahabad during the British period. Given by Akbar, the abode of Allah was named Allah Ka Baad, Allahabad. Currently, the name has been changed to Prayag under the Modi regime. Like Thirupur Kumaran, Vanchinathan in Tamil Nadu, Azad Chandrasekhar, a freedom fighter named Azad Chandrasekhar, shot himself to avoid being caught by the British when he was fleeing. He said this.
A tearful prayer
The Tamil Nadu team, who had the privilege of witnessing the Ganga Aarti while traveling by boat, were moved to tears when they showed their family members what they had seen through video calls. The grandmother of one of the students said, ‘Even after passing this age, you have got a privilege that I don’t get; I also received it through you.’
Pollution free Kashi
Instead of plastic and glass tumblers, tea stalls on the streets of Kashi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya saw only earthen jars. Similarly there were battery powered autos instead of petrol autos. Most people used bicycles more. All in all, the team of Tamil Nadu could love the unblemished Kashi a lot. Not only Hindus, foreigners but also Muslims could be seen eagerly coming and going for Ganga boat rides and visiting the steps.
Bhajan lovers
While traveling in the train, many of the students were enthusiastic about singing bhajans. Moreover, they sang patriotic and pious songs together as a group. Along with them, former Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan also enjoyed the song. When I went to Ayodhya, the newly built railway station was designed like an airport. Dancers danced and welcomed the team from Tamil Nadu. The Tamil Nadu crowd stood and applauded the traditional dance performance by Vijay Veer Vikram Bahadur Singh Yadav’s Avadi Dance Troupe.
Sand sculpture
At Triveni Sangam, Kashi Tamil Sangam’s ‘Logo’ was designed as a sand sculpture. The Hanuman Temple walk next to it was closed for the Tamil Nadu team a few minutes late in the afternoon. Swami Balveer Giri narrated the story of Hanuman lying down.
— – Sandhya, a college student
— Vinoth Kumar,
Student of Trichy College
— Yuvarajan,
Peruvalur Village, Villupuram District
‘East and West must unite’
I am a final year law student at Shastra University, Thanjavur, and came here after registering on the college website. I didn’t expect much until I came to UP. I brought only the stories I had heard. But, it is possible to avoid that and come here. Here was more than expected. I learned a lot of new things. Mainly North India – South India is beautiful when seen together. Except the language itself is different, the culture, sentiment and rituals behind it are all the same. Northerners are kind to us. This trip does not have to be viewed politically. I saw it as a spiritual and educational journey. The purpose of this trip was to see how we are culturally united. The next step is not only Kashi – Tamil Nadu, but East and West should merge. This should be continued annually. A lot of people should get a chance. Northerners should also come to Tamil Nadu. When I saw the welcome I got, I started to wonder whether it was real or a dream. I wondered if we were also respected like this. Kashi trip was the greatest experience in my life. The reception and darshan was wonderful. Compared to Namur sculptures, the sculptures here were different. The temple design also varied. Through this, we got to know the culture of India.
— Dharmendra Pradhan
Union Minister
Celebrating.
– Our Correspondent –
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