Kashi Tamil Sangamam 5.0

Why in news?

Union Minister for Education launched the registration portal for the 5^th edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS 5.0), scheduled to be held from 28 November to 12 December 2026.

• Objective – To celebrate, reaffirm and strengthen the age-old civilizational bonds between Tamil Nadu and Kashi, the two ancient seats of learning, strengthening the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
• Locations – Events span Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, with delegates travelling from Tamil Nadu.
• Theme for 5.0 – “Thirukkural Payilvom – Thirukkural Abhyas Karen”
• The first Kashi Tamil Sangamam was held in 2022, and over the last four editions, it facilitated meaningful exchanges of knowledge, language, traditions and lived experiences between the two regions.
• Organised by – Department of Higher Education, Union Ministry of Education, in collaboration with
  • IIT Madras;
  • Banaras Hindu University (BHU);
  • Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), Chennai;
  • Uttar Pradesh Government and
  • Central Govt Departments/Ministries of Culture, Railways, School Education, Tourism, Textiles, Food Processing Industries, Information & Broadcasting, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, etc.
• Participation – Around 1,400 participants from Tamil Nadu, organised into seven groups of around 200 persons each, will undertake an eight-day journey comprising four days of travel and four days of visits and structured programmes.
• Major Initiatives – A nationwide Students' Engagement Programme covering about 1,000 higher educational institutions will promote the study of the Thirukkural among students from diverse linguistic and academic backgrounds.
• The programme will leverage technology, educational outreach and expert interactions to spread awareness of Thirukkural's teachings.

Reference

PIB | Kashi Tamil Sangamam 5.0