Varanasi: Based on the theme ‘Kashi in Tamil Imagination: Mahakavi Subramania Bharati and His Legacy’, Banaras Hindu University hosted the first academic session as part of 4th edition of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam at Pt Omkar Nath Thakur Auditorium, on Wednesday. It was the first academic session of KTS 4.0 attended by a 200-member delegation from Tamil Nadu, comprising students and experts highlighted deep connection between the ancient Kashi and Tamil Nadu cultures. Delivering the keynote address, Prof R Meganathan from the National Council of Educational Research and Training spoke about Mahakavi Subramania Bharati’s ideals of Shakti (power), Bhakti (devotion) and knowledge.Discussing Bharati’s work, philosophy and life, he elaborated on how the iconic figure of Tamil literature promoted national unity and a 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 line with the theme of KTS 4.0, ‘Tamil Karkalam—Let Us Learn Tamil’—Prof Meganathan spoke about various initiatives promoting Tamil language learning among non-Tamil-speaking populations. Chairing the session, BHU Vice-Chancellor Prof Ajit Kumar Chaturvedi emphasised significance of the Sangamam, noting how it was facilitating interaction between people of South and North. He stressed the importance of frequent exchanges for strengthening mutual understanding and highlighted that similarities across Indian states do not diminish diversity; rather, they reinforce the essence of Indian identity. He praised the role of KTS in advancing vision of Viksit Bharat and drew attention to ‘Shabd,’ an AI-based translation tool that translated his remarks into Tamil and Hindi in real time.Translation of children’s books in Tamil published by National Book Trust were also released by the Vice-Chancellor. The translations were carried out by the faculty and students of the Tamil section of BHU.Student delegates were given a rich cultural introduction through their visit to Bharat Kala Bhawan and the Art Gallery of the Faculty of Visual Arts. This was followed by a panel discussion at the Tamil section of the department of Indian languages, faculty of arts.Student delegates from skill institutions also visited the Ideation Innovation & Incubation Foundation at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) BHU and took part in a panel discussion.During visit to the CDC facility at BHU, student group from Tamil Nadu gained first-hand knowledge of the start-up ecosystem, artificial intelligence, cyber security and latest practices in agriculture.
