Varanasi : Kashi Tamil Sangamam is not only celebrating the various aspects of the historical, civilisational, and cultural connection between the North and the South of the country but whole India. This was the message of Hon’ble Minister of State for Education, Government of India, Dr. Subhas Sarkar as he addressed the academic session at Banaras Hindu University on Friday as part of Kashi Tamil Sangamam. The minister was the chief guest of the session on the theme of “Traditional Modes of Teaching in Tamil Nadu and its Impact”. He said that Kashi and Tamil Nadu are the symbols of diverse and rich cultural and spiritual heritage that India is known for, which is being celebrated under the Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat initiative. Quoting Hon’ble Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi ji that there is a need to incorporate Ancient Indian Knowledge in Today’s Education System, Dr. Sarkar highlighted the fact how the country has a long, rich and prosperous history of diverse traditions and institutions of knowledge, which made her the center of learning since ancient times. He cited various examples to show how India has been very advanced in various areas like sciences, arts, engineering, medicine, surgery, technology, literature, arts, and architecture among others with a long list of great scholars.
Dr. Sarkar said that Brihadeeswara temple of Thanjavur and Sri Meenakshi Amman temple of Madurai, also famous as engineering marvels, display the greatness of our forefathers and the knowledge they had.
SHARE POSTCARDS, CONNECT PERSONALLY: The minister suggested a creative way to people of Kashi and Tamil Nadu to connect with each other and strengthen their bonds. He called upon people of Varanasi and Tamil Nadu to exchange postcards with their addresses written on them and invite each other to visit ancient and iconic temples and other places of spiritual, religious and cultural importance. Dr. Sarkar himself distributed some postcards among the members of the audience and exhorted them to share their addresses with their counterparts from the other city. These postcards will develop a sense of bonding and connection among us. He said that he will reply to all the postcards he receives and will wait for the responses from their senders too.
Speaking about the key highlights of the National Education Policy, 2020, the Union Minister of State for Education said that promotion of Indian Languages is among the priorities of the Government of India. He added that, on one hand, it is recognized as a vital instrument for imparting quality education to people, while on the other it is also recognized as an important means for preserving and promoting cultural traditions and indigenous knowledge, and wisdom.
Dr. Subhas Sarkar said exploring and rediscovering the links between Kashi and Tamil Nadu, through Kashi Tamil Sangamam, can lead to the creation of important bodies of knowledge both in the intellectual and practical realms.
He paid tributes to Bharat Ratna Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya ji, the revered founder of Banaras Hindu University, for playing a great role in the development of the country’s education system. The minister also praised BHU for wonderfully and efficiently organizing Kashi Tamil Sangamam.
The academic session saw rich exchange of ideas from members of the teaching community on further improving the education system of India.
- Muthulakshmi from Govt. Model Girls Higher Secondary School, Trichy, Tamil Nadu, said that learning is a life-long process and one can gain knowledge from anyone, anywhere and anytime during the course of life. Speaking about the challenges faced by teachers during Covid times, she said there can be no alternative to classroom teaching especially when it comes to teaching school students. She said that National Education Policy has come up with many transformational steps to take the country into a new trajectory of development.
- Ramachandran from Panchayat Union Primary School, Keelambar Bogular Union, Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu, spoke about the challenges of the education system. He also highlighted the importance of new teaching methods in online learning. K Ramachandran, who is also a recipient of National Teachers Awards 2022, made his presentation in the uniform of his school. He said that the lack of social responsibility among the educated is also a challenge of the current education system. He said that a teacher must adopt ways to generate interest in students.
K.S. Narayanan, Headmaster, Sethupathi Higher Secondary School, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, underlined the need of incorporating traditional methods in teaching. He also discussed the best practices adopted in his school for better learning among students.
Prof. Sunil Kumar Singh, Faculty of Education, delivered the welcome address and the introduction of the Chief Guest and other guests.
Prof. Gyaneshwar Choubey, Department of Zoology, made a presentation on DNA ancestry of Kashi and Tamil Nadu. Citing research and data, Prof. Choubey said that though Africa is the birthplace of modern humans, India served as a nurturing place to them. He said that Kashi and Tamil ancestry is founded over the same genetic components.
Prof. Ajay Kumar Singh, Faculty of Education delivered the vote of thanks. Prof. Binda Paranjape, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, who is coordinating the overall organization of the academic sessions in BHU, welcomed the guests.
Ms. Apoorva Shah and Ms. Shivani, students of Faculty of Education, conducted the academic session. Dr. Saumya Mishra, Faculty of Education, and Ms. Sneha singh and Ms. Kajol Valmiki, Faculty of Performing Arts, presented the rendition of BHU Kulgeet.
