Varanasi: In the second edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam, it is proposed that around 1400 people from Tamil Nadu and Puducherrywill travel to Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya by train for an 8-day immersive tour. They will be divided into 7 groups of around 200 each, comprising students, teachers, farmers and artisans, traders and businessmen, religious, writers, professionals.Each group will be named after a sacred river (Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Sindhu, Narmada, Godavari and Kaveri). The delegates will see places of historical, tourist and religious interest and interact with people of Uttar Pradesh from their domains of work.KTS 2.0 would have a crisper format with emphasis on awareness generation and outreach, people-to-people connect and cultural immersion. The focus would be on increased engagement and interaction with local counterparts (weavers, artisans, artists, entrepreneurs, writers) to get insights into best practices, enhance learning and cross pollination of ideas.The Ministry of Education will be the nodal ministry for the programme with participation from Ministries of Culture including ASI, Railways including IRCTC, Tourism, Textiles, Food Processing (ODOP), MSME, I&B, and concerned departments of UP government. To capitalise upon learnings from Phase I and given their reputation for research, IIT Madras will serve as the implementing agency in TN and Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in UP.During the extravaganza, stalls exhibiting art and culture, handlooms, handicrafts, cuisine, and other special products of Tamil Nadu and Kashi will be set up. Besides, cultural programmes blending the cultures of the two states will be organized at Namo Ghat in Varanasi. During this period there will be academic exchanges – seminars, discussions, lectures, on various facets of knowledge, including literature, ancient texts, philosophy, music, dance, yoga, Ayurveda, handicrafts, modern innovations, trade exchanges and gen-next technology. Apart from experts and scholars, local practical practitioners from the above subjects / professions from Tamil Nadu and Varanasi will also participate in these exchanges so that a body of practical knowledge/ innovations can emerge from the mutual learning in different fields.Over 2,500 people from Tamil Nadu, representing 12 different walks of life, had travelled to Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya during the first edition of KTS held last year.We also published the following articles recentlyCultural diplomacy: Varanasis Dev Deepavali draws ambassadors from 70 nationsAmbassadors and diplomats from over 70 nations gather in Varanasi to celebrate Gurupurnima. They witness the lighting of earthen lamps on Kartik Purnima, alongside the Ganga Arti and Dev Deepavali festivities. Varanasi, a city of spiritual significance, has hosted international events like G20 and SCO meetings. The city is adorned with lights and decorations for Dev Deepawali, featuring over a million earthen lamps. The festivities include a laser and crackers show, and a green aerial firecracker display enhances the divine ambiance.

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