As dusk settles over the ghats of Varanasi, the riverfront comes alive with hundreds of diyas held aloft by pujaris in unison embracing the Ganga aarti. Just a few steps away from this spectacle, inside the city’s lanes, a quieter cultural fusion unfolds. Here, the sweetness of Tamil mingles effortlessly with the earthy warmth of Banarasi. Thousands of kilometres from Tamil Nadu, generations of South Indian families have put down roots, keeping their heritage alive while weaving themselves into the very fabric of Kashi. And every year, since 2022, a month-long event Kashi Tamil Sangamam, has been taking place bringing two cultures even closer.
Each year, the ghats prepare in unison to celebrate two completely different cultures bringing the uniqueness of two states in a grand display. Kedar Ghat and Hanuman Ghat are the vibrant centres of the shared heritage of North and South India. This year too the lanes will light up in celebration of the fifth edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam. It is scheduled to be held in Varanasi from November 28 to December 12, 2026.
Across the city there are several families from South India who have been living in Kashi for generations. In earlier times, devotees from South India reportedly travelled for nearly six months on foot to reach Kashi. But then they decided to settle along the ghats. Some have been here for five generations, while others have been part of the city for as many as ten generations. Today, these families are no longer simply people who migrated from South India; they have become an integral part of Kashi.
About the event
Kashi Tamil Sangamam is an initiative that celebrates the centuries-old cultural, spiritual, literary and academic connections between Varanasi and Tamil Nadu. Organised under the spirit of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat', the event brings together people from different walks of life to explore the shared heritage of the two regions through cultural exchanges, discussions, traditions and knowledge-sharing.
There are around three phases of learning in which students and academicians participate from across the country. The first phase includes the learning of the Thirukkural, a classic Tamil language text on commoner morality. From thousands of campuses across the country a handful of students are selected to learn this which they would later go back and teach their fellow learners.
Second phase delves into the technical side and takes the Thirukkural to a wider audience through a multilingual app featuring all 1,330 couplets in 22 languages, video lectures, audiobooks, recitation tools, short films and social media.
The third phase aims to introduce the Thirukkural to non-Tamil-speaking students through daily couplet calendars, storytelling, skits, plays, dance-dramas and interactive games such as puzzles, crosswords and memory challenges.
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