Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday termed Kashi and Tamil Nadu two “amazing sources of music, literature and art.”
Addressing the inaugural event of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam here, Modi said, “Kashi and Tamil Nadu are amazing sources of music, literature and art. There is the tabla of Kashi, and ‘thanimai’ of Tamil Nadu. If one finds Banarasi saree in Varanasi, then the Kanjivaram silk of Tamil Nadu is world famous.”
“Both have been the birthplace and workplace of the greatest ‘acharyas’ of India’s spirituality. Kashi was the land of devotees of Tulsi, while Tamil Nadu was the land of saint Thiruvalluvar,” he said.
“In every dimension of life, you will find similar energy in different colours of Kashi and Tamil Nadu,” Modi said.
The prime minister also pointed out a connection with Kashi, also known as Benaras, in Tamil weddings.
“Even today, in the traditional Tamil marriages, there is a reference made to ‘Kashi yatra.’ In other words, Kashi yatra is linked to the new journey in the life of Tamil youths.
“This is the ‘abhilashi’ love for Kashi in the hearts of Tamil people, which had never diminished in the past, nor will get diminished in future,” he said.
“This is the tradition of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshth Bharat’, which our ancestors had lived, and the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam is carrying forward that pride,” he added.
