There is no language barrier, vested interests creating it: Pradhan at Kashi Tamil Sangamam

Speaking at the event, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan said owing to politics in Tamil Nadu, he was unable to learn Hindi, and whatever Hindi he learnt, it was after he came to Delhi. He said learning Hindi is his right. “Why am I being denied the opportunity to learn Hindi? I will learn Hindi, it is my right. But, there are no opportunities there (Tamil Nadu),” Murugan said. The minister said he would not speak about politics from this stage.

The Education Ministry has chosen ‘Tamil Karkalam’ or ‘Learn Tamil’ as the central theme of this year’s Kashi Tamil Sangamam amid the the ongoing standoff between Tamil Nadu and the Centre over the National Education Policy recommendation of three-language policy. Tamil Nadu has opposed the formula on the grounds that it “imposes” Hindi.

“Centuries ago, people visited Tamil Nadu, Rameswaram. Centuries ago, people of southern India, especially from Tamil Nadu, visited Kashi Vishwanath. There is no barrier of language. PM Narendra Modi categorically mentioned… like Sanskrit, Tamil is also the primary language of human civilisation. One of the ancient languages of human civilisation,” Pradhan said. “There is no barrier between languages…they can sense, they can talk, they can feel, they can interact with each other. Vested interests create barriers between them.”

Pradhan, who spoke mostly in English, also invoked key figures in Tamil Nadu – poet Bharathiyar and sage Agastya – to state that barriers cannot be created based on language.

“Great Bharathiyar came to this place (Varanasi). He learnt Sanskrit, he learnt Hindi, he learnt Bharatiya bhashas from this holy point, and he went back to Tamil Nadu… Last year, we put Rishi Agastya as our theme. Rishi Agastya went from Himalaya to Tamil Nadu. He is the pioneer of Tamil grammar and siddha medicine of Tamil Nadu. This is the oneness. You can’t create artificial barriers. You may succeed in your politics, but you cannot divide society,” he said.

In a video message, Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan said Tamil is receiving its rightful place of honour and continued national support. Welcoming this year’s theme, ‘Learn Tamil’, he said, it reinforces linguistic and cultural harmony. Describing the Sangamam as an embodiment of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’, Radhakrishnan observed that Kashi and Tamil Nadu stand as radiant lamps of India’s ancient civilisation, illuminating the nation with their cultural richness.

The Kashi Tamil Sangamam involves participants from Tamil Nadu traveling to Varanasi for programmes and visits. Organised by the Education Ministry, the first edition was held in 2022. This year’s programme involves teachers traveling from Tamil Nadu to Varanasi to teach Tamil to school students there. Students from Uttar Pradesh will also visit Tamil Nadu to learn the language at educational institutions in the State.

Pradhan said, “More than 50 teachers are here to teach Tamil in and around Banaras. Those who want to say are you going to teach Tamil… this is my open invitation to them… please come here and see… Three-hundred students from Uttar Pradesh will visit Tamil Nadu… not to learn Hindi, not to learn English… They will be there to learn the great ancient language Tamil. They will feel the spirit of Thirukkural. This is the vision of PM Modi.”

Pradhan pointed to multilingualism, and said that it is the country’s strength, and not its liability.

“PM Modi says all Indian languages are national language… When he says such things, it is not a mere speech, it is a commitment. Today, we strongly believe, multilingualism is our strength… This is not a liability to us. This is the unifier… Today, Kashi Tamil Sangamam is one of the great statements of that spirit,” he said.

He also referred to education in the mother tongue. “We have to come out of the colonial mindset… Macaulay mindset. We have no need to be dependent on English. Those we need to send to the global market… we’ll teach them English. But those who are here… to innovate… they have to be proficient in their mother tongue. They have to be proficient in Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi. They have to be proficient in Hindi. Then only they can create a new product for society. This is the essence of the National Education Policy. PM Modi has given a call to come out of the colonial mindset. Language is one of the primary instruments to come out of the colonial mindset,” he said.

With PTI inputs