NEW DELHI: The fourth edition of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, beginning December 2, will place a strong emphasis on enabling students from North India — particularly Uttar Pradesh — to learn Tamil through an expanded set of language-learning initiatives in Tamil Nadu. The ministry of education, announcing the programme on Saturday, said this year’s edition will mark a “major step forward in fostering linguistic exchange” by offering structured Tamil learning opportunities for school and college students from the North.A key highlight of KTS 4.0 is the launch of “Tamil Karpom”, a new initiative designed to help North Indian students learn Tamil in Tamil Nadu through immersive, institution-based programmes. As part of the plan, 300 college students from Kashi will travel to designated institutions in Tamil Nadu for a 15-day Tamil learning programme supported by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), Chennai. Host universities will conduct language sessions, cultural tours and interactions with writers, scholars and practitioners to give students real-time exposure to Tamil’s literary and cultural depth. The ministry has also approved the deployment of 50 Hindi-knowing Tamil teachers to schools in Varanasi under the “Tamil Karkalam” campaign. These teachers will introduce Tamil through activity-based and conversational modules, allowing schoolchildren in Kashi to access the language for the first time in a structured way. “The initiative aims to deepen linguistic bonds between Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh while encouraging young learners to engage with India’s classical languages,” a senior MoE official said.KTS 4.0 will be held around the theme “Learn Tamil – Tamil Karkalam”, reinforcing the government’s push to expand Tamil learning across India. The programme will also feature an eight-day experiential tour for over 1,400 delegates from Tamil Nadu across seven categories, including students, teachers, writers, artisans and women leaders. Delegates will visit Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya, participate in seminars and cultural performances, and interact with local communities.Tamil language sessions will also be organised for youth in Kashi, together with outreach programmes on Tamil literature, heritage and Siddha medicine. To build wider awareness, messages on classical Tamil texts and history will be displayed on digital boards mounted on themed vehicles at key locations.This year’s edition will culminate with a valedictory function in Rameswaram, symbolically linking the northern and southern gateways of the cultural exchange. The Agasthya Expedition — tracing the ancient trail of Sage Agasthya from Tenkasi to Kashi — will also be flagged off on December 2 and reach Varanasi on December 10.Coordinated by IIT Madras and Banaras Hindu University in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh government and multiple Union ministries, the Kashi Tamil Sangamam has, since 2022, emerged as a flagship initiative celebrating civilisational links between the two regions. With its renewed focus on student mobility and language learning, officials said, KTS 4.0 aims to turn cultural connection into “practical linguistic exchange” and nurture a generation of young Indians fluent in both tradition and diversity.
