NEW DELHI, Dec 2: Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Tuesday said that Tamil is receiving its rightful place of honour and continued national support.
In a video message for the fourth edition of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, the vice president welcomed this year’s theme, ‘Let us learn Tamil’, which, he said, reinforces linguistic and cultural harmony.
He also appreciated the initiative of 50 Hindi-speaking Tamil teachers and coordinators, trained by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil in Chennai, who have arrived in Varanasi to teach basic Tamil to over 1,500 students across 50 government and private schools over 15 days.
Radhakrishnan noted that since the launch of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam in 2022, the initiative has grown into a major national platform that brings together the culture of the Ganga and the traditions of the Cauvery, symbolising the cultural unity of the north and the south.
“I have attended previous editions of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam and can see the growing enthusiasm and impact each year, with eager participation from both Tamil Nadu and Kashi,” he said.
Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks during the November 30 ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast, Radhakrishnan said the sangamam is a confluence of one of the world’s oldest languages and one of its oldest cities, with Tamil being “the pride of India.”
“It gives me great joy and pride to see the Tamil language being celebrated and accorded the respect it deserves,” he said.
Highlighting efforts to rediscover ancient cultural routes between Tamil Nadu and Kashi, the vice president referred to the symbolic Agathiyar Yatra from Tenkasi to Kashi, which commenced on December 2 and will conclude on December 10.
This journey commemorates the message of unity spread by Pandya king Athiveera Parakrama Pandian, whose travels linked Tamil Nadu with Kashi and gave Tenkasi—a town in Tamil Nadu whose name means Southern Kashi—its identity.
He also welcomed the initiative under which 300 students from Uttar Pradesh will travel in ten groups to leading institutions in Tamil Nadu, including the Central Institute of Classical Tamil, strengthening two-way cultural understanding and exchange.
Describing the sangamam as an embodiment of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ (One India, Excellent India), Radhakrishnan observed that Kashi and Tamil Nadu stand as radiant lamps of India’s ancient civilisation, illuminating the nation with their cultural richness.
Quoting poet Subramania Bharathi, who said he found “no language as sweet as Tamil”, the vice president said the “divine sound of Tamil” resonating across the city of Kashi is a moment of pride for all Tamils.
Radhakrishnan thanked the Ministry of Education, the Uttar Pradesh government, and central ministries such as Railways, Information, Culture and Tourism for helping realise Bharathi’s vision.
The event celebrates the enduring cultural bond between Kashi and Tamil Nadu.
“Concluding the fourth Kashi Tamil Sangamam in Rameswaram reflects the deep, centuries-old bond between the Kashi Viswanathar and Ramanathaswamy temples,” he said.
“May this sangamam endure, and may this bond grow stronger for thousands of years,” he added. (PTI)
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