Kashi Tamil Sangamam | Forging a connect along the Ganga’s ghats Premium

The Union government’s month-long Kashi Tamil Sangamam seeks to celebrate the bond between Varanasi and Tamil Nadu. Jagriti Chandra accompanies a batch of visitors as they visit temples, attend cultural programmes and academic sessions, and form first impressions

On the banks of the river Ganga, at the Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi, priests hold brightly lit lamps under glittering parasols. Yuvraj Elumalaivasan has grabbed a front-row seat on the deck of a boat to watch the famous Ganga aarti, but scores of dinghies laden with devotees obstruct his view. Yuvraj is not complaining, however — hearing prayer bells and seeing lamps glow in the distance is a heady experience. This is his first boat ride ever, on his first trip outside Tamil Nadu.

Yuvraj, 20, is in Varanasi as part of the Union government’s 30-day Kashi Tamil Sangamam. This programme aims to celebrate the bond between Kashi (the ancient name of Varanasi) and Tamil Nadu under the framework of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’, which seeks to enhance interactions between people of different States and Union Territories. Yuvraj is one of the roughly 2,500 guests from Tamil Nadu to arrive in Uttar Pradesh in 12 batches. As part of the programme, the participants travel from Varanasi to Sarnath, Ayodhya and Prayagraj over six days. On November 16, the first groups from Tamil Nadu began to make their way to Kashi for the Sangamam, which concludes on December 19. This period was chosen for the event as it coincides with the Hindu month of Karthigai and will also enable guests from the south to finish their journey before the coldest winter spell arrives in north India.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the event on November 19, he referred to Kashi as the “cultural capital of India”. His speech was translated live in Tamil. The Kashi Tamil Sangamam presents a panoramic Hindu identity by linking the two regions as the oldest and most important centres of traditional knowledge systems. Ancient Indian philosophers from Tamil Nadu, like Ramunajacharya, travelled to Kashi to expand their spiritual learnings. The Tenkasi and Sivakasi temples in Tamil Nadu are said to be inspired by Varanasi’s Kashi Vishwanath temple after the Pandya king, Adhiveera Rama Pandiyan, went on a pilgrimage to Varanasi. In Tamil Brahmin weddings, the groom embarks on a Kashi Yatra before he is called back to marry the bride. There are also references to Kashi in Tamil texts such as Kalittokai and Thiruppugazh.

Modi also appealed to Tamil pride by calling Tamil the oldest language in the world. He released the translation of the Thirukkural in 13 languages and announced that a chair dedicated to the Tamil poet Subramania Bharati, or Bharatiyar, would be set up in Banaras Hindu University (BHU). He shared the stage with Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and Minister of State for Animal Husbandry L. Murugan. Composer and Rajya Sabha member Ilaiyaraja sang at the event, where the heads of nine adheenams (mutts) of Tamil Nadu were present. There was, however, no representation from the Tamil Nadu government, which the Centre claims to have invited.

The morning after the aarti, Yuvraj gets ready to take a dip in the chilly waters of the Ganga. Older guests offer water to the sun, blow conch shells, chant prayers and change into fresh clothes. Some smear sacred ash on their foreheads.

“It is difficult for me to describe the emotions I felt while watching the Ganga aarti last night and the beautiful view this morning,” says Yuvraj after his dip. “By sponsoring our travel and giving importance to the Tamil people, the Prime Minister is spreading Tamil culture...” His voice is drowned out by slogans of ‘Har Har Mahadev’, ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Narendra Modi ki jai’.

Yuvraj and his college mates belong to a group which primarily comprises yoga teachers, astrologers, priests, temple cleaners, and people who chant hymns in temples. The different batches arriving in Varanasi belong to 12 different categories: students, artisans, literature, business, teacher, heritage, entrepreneurs, professionals, temples, spirituality, rural, and culture. The Indian Institute of Technology Madras, which is providing IT support for the event, launched a website for the registration of participants. The Director of IIT Madras, Professor V. Kamakoti, says candidates above the age of 18 were selected from across Tamil Nadu. Those travelling to Varanasi for the first time were given priority. There is an equal mix of men and women, and the participants are from different castes.