Kashi Tamil Sangamam strengthens spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat’: PM Modi

LUCKNOW: Highlighting the special emotional and creative bond between the people of Kashi, his parliamentary constituency, and Tamil Nadu nurtured through the ages, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that events like Kashi-Tamil Sangmam consolidated the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ further.

While inaugurating the second edition of Kashi-Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi on Sunday, the PM sought to define the ties between the two most ancient centers of the country’s rich cultural heritage saying Kashi and Tamil Nadu shared the centuries-old ties which were not only emotional but creative also as both were the abodes of Lord Shiva.

“In other parts of the world, countries are relegated to being just a political definition but ‘Bharat’ has been blessed with different spiritual faiths in abundance and this spirituality has kept this country one. The saints like Adi Shankaracharya and Ramanujam rekindled a sense of nationalism by crisscrossing the country,” said the PM.

“Due to the Yatras by those spiritual gurus who instilled spiritual consciousness in the countrymen, India has remained eternal and unwavering as a nation”, he said while addressing the gathering of delegates of the Samagam at Namo Ghat in Varanasi.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that India’s diversity has been shaped by the spiritual consciousness as was also signified by great Pandian King Parakram Pandian who had said that every water in India is Gangajal, and every geographical location of the country is Kashi.

He added that when the centers of faith were under constant attack by foreign invaders in the north, King Parakram Pandian made all the efforts to keep the heritage of Kashi alive with the construction of Tenkasi and Sivakasi temples.

Quoting Subramania Bharathi, Modi said that vibrations of Kashi-Tamil Sangamam were spreading throughout the country and the world at large. He noted that lakhs of people, including heads of mutts, students, artists, authors, craftsmen and professionals had become part of the Sangamam since its inception last year.

“It is the confluence of two rich cultural heritages. The Sangmam has paved way for effective interaction and exchange of ideas between the two centres and it is well reflected in the joint initiative by Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and IIT-Madras, where IIT is providing online support to thousands of students from Varanasi in Science and Mathematics under the Vidya Shakti Initiative,” added the PM.

He underlined that arriving in Kashi from Tamil Nadu simply meant traveling from one abode of Lord Mahadev to the other namely Madurai Meenakshi to Kashi Vishalakshi. PM Modi also recalled the placement of sacred ‘Sengol’ in the new Parliament building under the supervision of Aadinam saints reflecting the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat.

“This flow of spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ is infusing the soul of our nation today,” he said. The PM expressed satisfaction over the rising interest of the youth towards ancient traditions as a large number of people, students and youth from Tamil Nadu were traveling to Kashi, Prayag, Ayodhya and other pilgrimage sites.

“Darshan of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, who established Rameshwaram along with Lord Mahadev, is divine,” he added.