As the first light breaks over the subcontinent, it paints two distant shores—the ancient ghats of Kashi and the temple-lined coast of Tamil Nadu—in the same golden hue. In this liminal moment, India reveals its most profound truth: that our civilisation, like our mighty rivers, flows not in isolation but in constant dialogue. This dialogue finds its contemporary resonance in the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, where the spiritual wisdom of the north embraces the cultural richness of the south in a timeless conversation.
Our civilisation’s story weaves through the rivers that have nourished it—from Godavari’s broad sweep to Ganga’s sacred flow, from Jhelum’s mountain song to Brahmaputra’s mighty current. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recognises that these rivers are not merely geographies, but living symbols of our shared consciousness. Within their waters dissolves the artificial construct of north and south, just as it vanished in the footsteps of Adi Shankara’s spiritual odyssey from Kerala to Kedarnath.
Conceived in 2022 to revive the living bonds between Kashi and Tamil Nadu, two important centres of learning in ancient India, the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam is into its third edition. It seeks to deepen a nuanced understanding of Bharat’s culture which reveals that culturally, there is an uncommon level of integrity in India.
Regional cultures seldom grew autonomously. They developed only as manifestations of the oneness of our nation. That is why Hindustani and Carnatic music, which sound so different, or other aspects of culture in north and south that seem so divergent, are essentially one. This synthesis has occurred in subtle but profound ways over several centuries.
Coinciding with the Maha Kumbh and after the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Sangamam affords a unique opportunity to the participants to feel the heartbeat of three important spiritual centres—Kashi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya. At the heart of this cultural confluence stands the legend of sage Agastya, whose remarkable journey from Kashi to Kaveri crafted an enduring bridge. The Agastyeshwar Mahadev Mandir in Kashi stands as a testament to a legacy that transcends geography—from pioneering the Siddha medical tradition and composing hundreds of Rig Vedic mantras to imparting the ‘Aditya Hridayam’ to Lord Ram.
This ancient wisdom finds new bearing in our contemporary educational system. The National Education Policy 2020 emerges as a modern-day Sangamam, bridging classical knowledge with cutting-edge innovation, mother tongues with global discourses. Its emphasis on vernacular education and classical languages echoes Agastya’s vision of knowledge that is simultaneously rooted and universal.
Research on Indian knowledge systems reveals fascinating patterns of cultural exchange—trade routes that doubled as knowledge highways and pilgrim trails that became channels of artistic innovation. Today’s initiatives are built upon this foundational revelation. For example, the IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation has partnered with Vidya Shakti to take education to rural areas of Uttar Pradesh through online classes, bringing advanced STEM education to villages.
The link between Kashi and Tamil Nadu is deep and abiding. The presence of over 450 Kashi Vishwanath temples in Tamil Nadu is not merely a statistical trivia; it’s living proof of an inherent unity. Each shrine represents countless stories of pilgrimage, trade and cultural exchange that shaped our national character.
The ancient Tamil saying ‘Yaadhum oore yaavarum lelir’ (all places are our homeland, all people our kin) finds a powerful reverberation in the worldview of ‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ (the world is one family). This philosophy, which predates modern notions of nationhood, offers a blueprint for inclusive development and cultural harmony. It reminds us that Bharat’s strength lies not in enforced uniformity but in celebrated diversity, not in erasing differences but in discovering the underlying unity that makes these differences meaningful.
The Kashi-Tamil Sangamam transcends its annual calendar. It represents a continuous dialogue that pulsates with daily exchanges, academic collaborations and spiritual connections. In every student exchange programme, every joint research initiative and every cultural performance, we see the realisation of the vision, ‘Ek Bharat sreshth Bharat’.
As we march towards Viksit Bharat 2047, this synergy becomes even more crucial. Our path to development must be illuminated by the wisdom of our heritage: ‘Vikas bhi, virasat bhi’. Just as Agastya built bridges of knowledge centuries ago, we must now forge new connections between our ancient wisdom and modern aspirations, between our cultural roots and technological future.
The Sangamam reminds us that our journey towards becoming a developed nation is inseparable from our civilisational ethos. The time has come for every Indian to become not just a participant, but a torchbearer in this grand cultural renaissance, ensuring that as we progress materially, we remain anchored in our spiritual and cultural foundations. For in this balance lies the true essence of India’s future.
May the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam recapture the cultural core of our society and help ‘Make India Great Again’.
Dharmendra Pradhan
Union Minister of Education
(Views are personal)