Hello in Tamil: Varanasi Students Greet South India with Fresh Language Skills

Varanasi: Under the Kashi Tamil Sangamam 4.0 initiative “Tamil Karkalam – Let’s Learn Tamil”, Tamil language classes are being held in 50 schools across the district. Fifty teachers from Tamil Nadu have been assigned to different institutions, where they are introducing students to the basics of Tamil. These include not only government secondary and basic schools, but also private and convent schools in Varanasi.

Teaching is being conducted in two separate sessions, with Tamil teachers guiding students through both spoken Tamil and foundational script knowledge. Children are learning the Tamil alphabet—vowels and consonants—as well as five new words each day. They are also being taught how to pronounce everyday sentences in Tamil, such as “What is your name?”, “Which school do you study in?”, and “My name is…”, helping them use the language in simple, real-life conversations.

A group of teachers conducted a special class at Bengali Tola Inter College. In this two-hour session, students were taught to write and speak Tamil. One student shared, “A large number of tourists from Tamil Nadu visit near our homes. Learning this language will help us talk to them and understand their conversations. This initiative by the Education Ministry is excellent.”

Organized under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, Kashi Tamil Sangamam has become a shining example of the cultural confluence between North and South India. Participants noted that PM Modi’s ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’ spirit comes alive through this event. Launched on December 2, this two-week programme is strengthening cultural and intellectual ties between Tamil Nadu and Kashi as a vital bridge. Over 1,400 representatives from Tamil Nadu are participating across seven categories, including students, teachers, writers, media personnel, agriculture experts, professionals and artisans, women, and spiritual scholars.