New Delhi, December 2 (). Indian Railways is operating seven special trains between Kanyakumari, Chennai, Coimbatore and Varanasi to ensure massive participation in the 4th Kashi Tamil Sangamam and further strengthen the cultural ties between the Tamil speaking region and the ancient spiritual center of Kashi.
These special trains have been scheduled to ensure seamless travel, comfortable long distance connectivity and timely arrival for people visiting this multi-day cultural event.
These services started with the departure of the first train from Kanyakumari on 29 November. After this, an additional special train left from Chennai on Tuesday. The next departures are from Coimbatore on 3 December, from Chennai on 6 December, from Kanyakumari on 7 December, from Coimbatore on 9 December and from Chennai on 12 December.
With these planned departures, a total of seven special trains to Banaras from major cities of Tamil Nadu will run in a streamlined and phased manner.
To ensure timely return journey, Indian Railways has arranged several special trains from Banaras. These include trains to Kanyakumari on 5th December, Chennai on 7th December and Coimbatore on 9th December. Apart from this, additional trains will also run for Chennai on 11 December, Kanyakumari on 13 December, Coimbatore on 15 December and Chennai on 17 December.
The fourth edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam, starting from Tuesday, continues the long-standing cultural bond between Tamil Nadu and Kashi. This edition focuses on the theme ‘Let’s Learn Tamil – Tamil Karakalam’, promoting linguistic and cultural exchange between the two regions through Tamil teaching initiatives in schools in Varanasi, study tours to Tamil Nadu for students from the Kashi region and the symbolic Rishi Agastya vehicle expedition from Tenkasi to Kashi.
Kashi Tamil Sangamam 4.0 reflects the essence of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’ which encourages people to understand and appreciate rich cultures other than their own. The initiative is driven by the Ministry of Education, with IIT Madras and Banaras Hindu University as key knowledge partners. With the participation of 10 ministries including Railways, the program brings together students, artisans, scholars, spiritual leaders, teachers and cultural workers from both the regions, facilitating exchange of ideas, cultural practices and traditional knowledge between them.
By coordinating this culturally rich itinerary through these seven special trains, Indian Railways is playing a central role in connecting the diverse regions of the country and strengthening the shared heritage between Tamil Nadu and Kashi.
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SK/ABM
