Kashi-Tamil Sangamam: Railways to ferry over 2,000 students from Tamil Nadu to Varanasi

NEW DELHI: Railways will ferry more than 2,000 students from across universities by train from Tamil Nadu to Varanasi as part of the Centre's programme to rediscover the centuries-old bond of knowledge and ancient civilisational linkage between Kashi and the southern state.

The Railways will arrange special coaches for identified students who will be from varied backgrounds, sources said. The month-long 'Kashi Tamil Sangamam' programme will be organised in Varanasi from November 16 to December 19 and will include interactive sessions, debates, and seminars on the ancient and traditional links between the two cultures.

Last month, the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti (BBS) or the High Powered Committee for Promotion of Indian Languages, headed by Chamu Krishna Shastry, has come up with the proposal to rediscover, reaffirm and celebrate the links between the Tamil culture and Kashi that have existed for centuries.

The committee has been constituted by the Education Ministry. The broader objective is to bring the "two knowledge and cultural traditions closer, create an understanding of our shared heritage and deepen the people-to-people bond between the regions", he had said.

It has been proposed that around 200-210 people from different parts of Tamil Nadu will be taken in one group for a period of eight days for a familiarisation with Kashi, the sources said. As many as 12 such groups will be able to visit within a month. The cost of the travel will be borne by the government, the sources said.