Kashi Tamil Sangamam 4.0: Mahakavi Subramania Bharati's poetic legacy discussed at BHU

BHU vice-chancellor Prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi underlined the importance of Kashi Tamil Sangamam and how it is facilitating mutual interaction between the people of the South and the North.

He pointed out that frequent exchanges would be required in order to create mutual understanding and underlined the fact that similarities within the states of India in no way reduce diversity, rather reinforce the very essence of Indian identity.

He lauded the role of KTS in furthering the vision of Viksit Bharat and made particular reference to the ‘Shabd’, an AI-based translation tool which simultaneously translated his remarks into Tamil and Hindi. The VC reiterated that KTS reminds us of the basic philosophy and intent of the program-to celebrate unity and "the many different ways in which we are one."

Prof Chaturvedi presided over the session hosted by BHU as part of the 4th edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam on "Kashi in Tamil Imagination: Mahakavi Subramania Bharati and His Legacy". The first academic session of KTS 4.0 saw experts underlining the deep connections between the two ancient cultures of Kashi and Tamil Nadu, which the Sangamam celebrates with grandeur.

A 200-member delegation from Tamil Nadu comprising students attended the session upon arrival at the university campus.

He said Indians needed to internalize this civilizational unity, an echo of which is heard in the Vishnu Purana, and such programs as KTS help reinforce it. Delivering the keynote address, Prof R Meganathan from the National Council of Educational Research and Training spoke on the ideals of Shakti, Bhakti, and knowledge espoused by Mahakavi Subramania Bharati. The work, philosophy, and life of Bharati were discussed at length to bring forth how this iconic figure of Tamil literature had advocated the cause of national unity and shared Indian identity. He discussed Bharati’s poem “Achamillai, Achamillai, Achamenba Thillaiye” (“Fear not, fear not, there is no such thing as fear”), his nationalism and universality, and his intellectual engagement with Sri Aurobindo.

 In tune with the theme of KTS 4.0—“Let Us Learn Tamil – Tamil Karkalam”—Prof Meganathan spoke about various initiatives promoting Tamil language learning among non-Tamil-speaking populations. He also presented an NCERT documentary on Bharati, noting the poet’s command of more than 25 languages and his work as a nationalist, writer, journalist, and freedom fighter. He showcased a Tamil language tutorial developed by NCERT. Prof Meganathan said that all Indians should know a third language. He concluded with a poem he wrote about Subramania Bharati in which he talks about Bharati’s poetry, its social impact, and especially its impact on nationalist feelings of the people. Welcoming the guests, Prof PV Rajeev from the Institute of Management Studies, BHU, introduced the audience to Kashi Tamil Sangamam and gave an overview of Banaras Hindu University to Tamil students and teachers.