NEW DELHI: The third edition of Kashi Tamil Sangaman (KTS), which celebrates the timeless bonds between Tamil Nadu and Kashi, will be held from February 15 to 24, announced Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday. One of the key features this time is that the over 1,000 participants of KTS 3.0 will get to experience Mahakumbh and visit Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, the minister said.Launching the registration portal for the third edition, the minister said, there is an inseparable bond between Tamil Nadu and Kashi and which is “set to come alive through Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0.”The portal, kashitamil.iitm.ac.in – hosted by IIT Madras – will accept registrations till February 1, 2025. “The programme aims to celebrate, reaffirm and rediscover the age-old links between Tamil Nadu and Kashi, one of the country’s most important and ancient seats of learning. The 10-day initiative will begin from January 15,” he told the media.The minister said KTS, which is a brainchild of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is an inspirational initiative to celebrate the timeless bonds between Tamil Nadu and Kashi, and strengthen the civilisational links and further the spirit of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat.He also said that it will be a celebration of one of India’s most revered sages – Maharishi Agasthyar. “Maharishi Agasthyar’s legacy is deeply woven into India’s cultural and spiritual fabric,” Pradhan said, adding that his intellectual brilliance is the bedrock of Tamil language and literature as well as our shared values, knowledge, traditions and heritage.Pradhan said this year, KTS 3.0, holds a special significance as it coincides with the Mahakumbh, and it is also the first Sangamam after the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. “With Maharishi Agasthyar as the central theme and Mahakumbh and Shri Ayodhya Dham as the backdrop, Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0 will offer a divine experience and bring Tamil Nadu and Kashi – the two timeless centres of our civilisation and culture, more closer than ever,” Pradhan said.A highlight of the third edition is that the event will coincide with the Maha Kumbh Mela, which is being held from January 13 to February 26. The participants will get the chance to take ‘shahi snan” or a holy dip during the mela.An exhibition on the different facets of Sage Agasthyar and his contributions to world of health, philosophy, science, linguistics, literature, polity, culture, art, particularly to Tamil and Tamil Nadu, and seminars, workshops, book release, and other events will be organised at Kashi during KTS 3.0.Competitions and other awareness programs in Tamil Nadu prior to KTS 3.0 will be organised in a befitting manner in major cities of India and abroad where there is considerable Tamil diaspora.This year, around 1,000 delegates from Tamil Nadu under five categories – students, teachers, and writers; farmers and artisans (Vishwakarma Categories); professionals and small Entrepreneurs; Women (SHG, Mudra Loan beneficiaries, DBHPS Pracharaks); and the last category start-up, innovation, edu-Tech, research will participate.Also, an additional group of around 200 students of Tamil origin studying in various Central Universities will be a part of this event to enliven the bond between Kashi and Tamil Nadu. Participation of youth in all categories will be encouraged this year.The duration of the tour will be eight days (four for travel, four for site visit). The first group will leave Tamil Nadu on February 13, 2025 and the last group will return to Tamil Nadu on February 26, 2025.KTS is being organised by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with other ministries, including Culture, Textiles, Railways, Tourism, Food Processing, Information and Broadcasting and the Uttar Pradesh government.The programme aims to provide an opportunity for scholars, students, philosophers, traders, artisans, artists and people from other walks of life from the two regions to come together, share their knowledge, culture and best practices and learn from each other’s experience. It also aims to make the youth aware and experience cultural oneness. “The endeavour is in sync with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020’s emphasis on integrating the wealth of Indian Knowledge Systems with modern systems of knowledge,” the education ministry said in a statement. Like earlier times, IIT Madras and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) are the two implementing agencies for the programme.The government has so far celebrated KTS on two occasions. One for one month in 2022 and for a fortnight in 2023 and around 4,000 delegates from Tamil Nadu have been a part of this event.“In both editions of KTS, there were overwhelming responses from people of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh,” the ministry said.
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