Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday opened the registration portal for the fifth edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS 5.0), which will be held from November 28 to December 12.The Ministry has asked eligible applicants from Tamil Nadu, particularly young people and students, to register and take part.

An official statement said the Sangamam is a celebration of India’s cultural unity, linguistic diversity and shared civilisational heritage.

Interested applicants may register through the official portal at https://kashitamil.iitm.ac.in/, hosted by IIT Madras with effect from October 22, it said.

The Portal will accept applications till November 13 under seven categories: Students, teachers, writers and media professionals, agriculture and allied sectors, professionals and artisans, women and spiritual leaders.

The programme will 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, said an official statement.

Joshi said that since ancient times, the country has had a strong cultural unity. He noted that many people visited Kashi and Rameswaram as part of their religious traditions, reflecting the deep-rooted cultural bonds between the northern and southern parts of India.

He stated that the programme would bring together students, teachers, writers, professionals, agriculturalists, artists, women and spiritual scholars. He also highlighted that educational outreach initiatives would be carried out in higher education institutions to familiarise students with the objectives of Kashi Tamil Sangamam.

The Union Minister reiterated that Kashi Tamil Sangamam played an important role in strengthening national unity and celebrating India’s shared civilisational heritage.

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.

The event is organised by the 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 and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.