Union Minister of State for Education Dr. Subhas Sarkar visited the second phase of Kashi Tamil Sangamam today. He also attended the cultural programmes and interacted with the visitors and delegates. He also visited the exhibition set up at the Namo Ghat, Varanasi. Chairman National Educational Technology Forum NBA NAAC, Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, and other dignitaries were also present at the event.

While speaking at the event, Dr. Sarkar said it was a privilege to be at the confluence of heritage, art, dance, music, literature, and craft of Kashi and Tamil Nadu. He highlighted how Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has said that Kashi Tamil Sangamam furthers the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat. Dr Sarkar also said that exploring and rediscovering the links between Kashi and Tamil Nadu can lead to the creation of important bodies of knowledge, both in the intellectual and practical realms.

Last year, the first phase of Kashi Tamil Sangamam was organized from 16th November to 16th December 2022. This year, the event is taking place during 17-30 December 2023. More than 1400 (7 Groups of 200 persons each, on average) people has travelled from different parts of Tamil Nadu, representing varied walks of life. During their stay in Kashi, as per their tour itinerary, they also visited Prayagraj and Ayodhya.

The 7 groups of Students (Ganga), Teachers (Yamuna), Professionals (Godavari), Spiritual (Saraswati), Farmers and Artisans (Narmada), Writers (Sindhu) and Traders and Businessmen (Kaveri) were named after seven sacred rivers of India.

The Ministry of Education, Government of India, is the nodal agency for this event with participation from the Ministries of Culture, Tourism, Railways, Textiles, Food Processing (ODOP), MSME, Information & Broadcasting, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, IRCTC and related departments of Government of Uttar Pradesh.