Contents
Introduction
Against narratives of cultural fragmentation, the Kashi–Tamil Sangamam exemplifies India’s living civilisational unity, aligning with UNESCO’s view of culture as a driver of social cohesion and India’s ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ vision.
Reviving India’s Civilizational Continuum
- Civilisational Geography and Sacred Continuity: The Kashi–Tamil Sangamam (KTS) functions as a civilisational restoration project, not a contemporary invention. The spiritual axis connecting Kashi Vishwanath and Rameswaram represents India’s sacred geography, where pilgrimage historically enabled cultural integration. The founding of Tenkasi (Dakshin Kashi) by Pandyan rulers illustrates how spiritual decentralisation ensured inclusivity when physical mobility was limited. Such sacred linkages affirm historian Romila Thapar’s view of India as a civilisation bound by cultural flows rather than political uniformity.
- Intellectual and Spiritual Exchange as Soft Power: Figures like Saint Kumaraguruparar, who institutionalised Tamil Shaivite traditions in Kashi, and Subramania Bharati, whose nationalism matured in Varanasi, embody India’s internal civilisational dialogue. KTS revives this tradition, aligning with India’s cultural soft power strategy, as recognised by the Ministry of External Affairs’ emphasis on heritage diplomacy.
Bridging Regional Divides through Living Culture
- Countering the North–South Binary: KTS offers a counter-narrative to the perceived North–South divide, often reinforced by linguistic and political discourse. By facilitating direct people-to-people contact—students, farmers, artisans—it operationalises cultural federalism, where diversity strengthens unity. Sociological studies (CSDS surveys) show interpersonal cultural exposure reduces regional prejudice more effectively than top-down integration.
- People-to-People Diplomacy within the Nation: Special Sangamam trains and homestays in Kashi transformed abstract unity into lived experience. Such immersive exchanges resemble the Erasmus model within Europe, proving that emotional integration is as vital as constitutional unity for democratic resilience.
Integrating Ancient Heritage with Modern Knowledge Systems
- Linguistic Integration and NEP 2020: The 2025–26 theme ‘Tamil Karkalam’ operationalises the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which advocates multilingualism and Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS). Establishment of a Tamil Chair at BHU and Tamil instruction in Kashi schools institutionalises inter-civilisational scholarship, preventing culture from remaining performative.
- Academic and Knowledge Exchange: Translation of Tholkappiyam into multiple Indian and foreign languages globalises Tamil intellectual heritage, echoing India’s ancient tradition of knowledge circulation, from Nalanda to Kanchipuram. The Sage Agastya Vehicle Expedition symbolically retraced these routes while delivering social services, integrating culture with contemporary developmental outreach.
- Cultural Economy and GI Synergies: Handloom collaborations between Kanjeevaram and Banarasi silk weavers demonstrate how cultural confluences can generate economic value. Such initiatives align with UNESCO’s Creative Economy framework, where heritage-based livelihoods promote inclusive growth while preserving intangible cultural assets.
Strategic Significance for Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
From Symbolism to Structured Integration: Unlike episodic cultural festivals, KTS has evolved into a structured platform—academic chairs, curriculum integration, manuscript digitisation—ensuring sustainability. Replication through initiatives like Saurashtra–Tamil Sangamam embeds unity across multiple civilisational axes.
Conclusion
As Justice Radhakrishnan observed, India’s unity is cultural before constitutional; echoing President Murmu’s call for heritage-led integration, Kashi–Tamil Sangamam proves civilisation, when institutionalised, becomes democracy’s strongest adhesive.
