VARANASI: Regular Tamil language classes are likely to be introduced in schools and colleges of Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi as part of efforts to deepen cultural and linguistic exchanges, officials said.
The initiative is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam. The prime minister, in his ‘Mann Ki Baat' radio programme, on December 28, mentioned Payal Patel, a student of Government Queen's College here, for learning Tamil in a short span of time.
Inspired by Prime Minister Modi's vision, the Government Queen's College is planning to start daily evening Tamil classes. The district inspector of schools has directed the institution to run the classes, college principal Sumit Kumar said.
Around 50 teachers from Varanasi are also likely to be deputed to Tamil Nadu to teach Hindi as part of the initiative, officials said.
"Keeping in mind the prime minister's vision of cultural integration, Tamil classes will be started at the college," principal Kumar said.
He said discussions have been held with Sandhya Kumar Sai from Tamil Nadu, who earlier taught Tamil to the student, and she has agreed to take online classes. The head of the Tamil Department at Banaras Hindu University has also assured cooperation, Kumar added.
According to officials, preparations are also underway to send 50 teachers from Varanasi to Tamil Nadu to teach Hindi. This proposal has been discussed in meetings chaired by the Varanasi commissioner and district magistrate.
Kumar further said that students of the college recently conveyed New Year greetings in Tamil to the Prime Minister and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as part of a programme showcasing Kashi-Tamil cultural integration.
The programme was led by Payal Patel and featured rangoli and dance performances set to Tamil music.
Principal of Harish Chandra Girls Inter College, Priyanka Tiwari, said a 15-day Tamil language programme was conducted at her institution during the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, in which 50 students participated. The students later presented what they learnt through poems and songs.
Encouraged by the students' enthusiasm for language learning, the college is considering launching a formal Tamil course from the next academic session, she added.
The Kashi Tamil Sangamam is a cultural exchange initiative aimed at highlighting the age-old civilisational, cultural and educational links between Kashi and Tamil Nadu.
The programme brings together students, scholars, teachers and artists from Tamil Nadu to Varanasi through academic sessions, language workshops, literary interactions and cultural performances, with a focus on promoting linguistic learning, mutual understanding and national integration.