CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) on Tuesday launched the registration portal for the second phase of Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS) which is scheduled to be held from December 17 to 30.

"Interested persons from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry can apply on the KTS portal - www.kashitamil.iitm.ac.in. The deadline to apply is December 8, 2023. In phase 2 of KTS, around 1,400 people from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will travel by train to Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Ayodhya for an eight-day immersive tour, including the travel time," a statement from IIT-Madras reads.

Like its first edition, this programme proposes to take forward the objective of reviving the living bonds between Varanasi and Tamil Nadu - two important centers of learning and culture in ancient India – by facilitating people-to-people connections across different walks of life.

The delegates will be taken to visit places of historical, tourist, and religious interest and interact with the people of Uttar Pradesh from their domains of work.

The KTS 2.0 would have a crisper format with an emphasis on awareness generation and outreach, people-to-people connections, and cultural immersion.

The focus would be on increased engagement and interaction with local counterparts (weavers, artisans, artists, entrepreneurs, writers, etc.) to get insights into best practices, enhance learning, and cross-pollination of ideas.

To capitalise upon learnings from Phase I and given their reputation for research, IIT Madras and IIT BHU will serve as the respective implementing agencies in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.