As a Kashi-vaasi, I have realised lives of Kashi people are incomplete without Tamil people: PM Modi

NEW DELHI: Recalling the recently organised “Kashi-Tamil Sangamam” as a simultaneous celebration of antiquity, innovation and diversity, prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that he himself had become a Kashi-vaasi and has realised that the lives and the people of Kashi are incomplete without Tamil people and the vice versa.
The prime minister made these remarks while speaking on the occasion of “Puthandu”, the Tamil New Year celebrations at the residence of his ministerial colleague Thiru L. Murugan in the national capital.
“In this program, we have celebrated antiquity, innovation and diversity simultaneously”, said the Prime Minister as he expressed deep satisfaction with the success of the recent “Kashi Tamil Sangamam”.
Referring to the craze for the books of Tamil learning at the sangamam the Prime Minister said “In the Hindi-speaking region, in this digital age, Tamil books are loved like this, it shows our cultural connect. I believe the lives of Kashi residents are incomplete without Tamil people, I have become a Kashi Vaasi, and without Kashi, the lives of Tamil people are incomplete.”
Modi also mentioned the new Chair in the name of Subramania Bharati and a place for a Tamil person in the temple trust of Kashi Vishwanath.
Stressing the uniqueness of Tamil people and culture, the Prime Minister professed his attraction and emotional attachment towards the Tamil culture. Recalling the strong presence and great love of the Tamil population in his erstwhile assembly constituency in Gujarat, the Prime Minister expressed his gratitude for the love of the Tamil people for him.
Recalling one of the Panch Pran that the Prime Minister spoke about from the ramparts of Red Fort - Pride in one’s heritage, Modi said that the older the culture, the more such people and culture are time-tested.
“Tamil culture and people are eternal as well as global. From Chennai to California, from Madurai to Melbourne, from Coimbatore to Cape Town, from Salem to Singapore; you will find Tamil people have carried with them their culture and traditions,” he said.
The Prime Minister continued that “Be it Pongal or Puthandu, they are marked all over the world. Tamil is the world’s oldest language. Every Indian is proud of this. Tamil literature is also widely respected. The Tamil Film Industry has given some of the most iconic works to us.”
Recalling the contribution of the Tamil people in the freedom struggle, the Prime Minister also underlined the contribution of the Tamil people in the growth of the country after independence. He remembered Tamil greats like C. Rajagopalachari, K Kamaraj and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and said that in the fields of medicine, law and academics, the contribution of Tamilians is beyond comparison.
The Prime Minister recalled with pride the opportunity to serve the rich Tamil Culture. He remembered quoting in Tamil at the United Nations and attending the Grih Pravesh Ceremony at Jaffna. Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Jaffna and many welfare projects were undertaken for Tamils there during and after his visit. “This feeling of continuously serving the Tamil people fills me with new energy”, the Prime Minister said.