Chennai, Mar 19 (UNI) Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals & Fertilizers Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Sunday launched the 'Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam' initiative.
The Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam will be held from April 17 to April 26 at various venues throughout Saurashtra region and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin will be invited for the event, Mandaviya told reporters.
Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports Anurag Thakur and Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Dr L. Murugan was also present on the occasion.
The official logo of the Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam was unveiled on the occasion and also the launch of its online portal.
The theme song of the event was also launched that was received with great enthusiasm by the attendees.
Mandaviya said the idea behind the Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam was to promote cultural linkages between Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu.
He listed the contribution of the Saurashtra brothers and sisters and saluted the socio-culture of Tamil Nadu.
He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving him this opportunity for organizing Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam and called for giving a new dimension to Ek Bharat Shrestha
Bharat.
"This would be the greatest meetup after several centuries," Mansukh Mandaviya said.
"This is the Sangamam of culture, sangamam of art, sangamam of tradition, sangamam of language, music, dance, etc. We welcome everyone to the Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam and hope it will strengthen the cultural bonds between Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu."
The 'Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam' initiative aims to promote the rich cultural heritage of the Saurashtra community living in Tamil Nadu.
"It will provide a platform for Saurashtrians in Tamil Nadu to connect with their brethren in Gujarat and celebrate their shared traditions and values. He also highlighted the linkages between Somnath and Somasundareshwarar, which reflects the rich cultural heritage of both regions", Mr Mandaviya said.
"We are proud to host the Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam and we hope it will create new opportunities for cultural exchange and collaboration," he added.
In his address, Anurag Thakur expressed his admiration for the progress of the Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat initiative during his visit to Kashi.
Lauding the efforts of Kashi Tamil Sangamam in connecting the dots and taking the initiative to the next level, he said he was awestruck by the overwhelming reception received for the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, which facilitated cultural exchanges between Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, which was testament to the unity in diversity that India represents.
Thakur announced that a new chapter of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat initiative would soon commence with the start of the Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam.
He expressed his excitement at the prospect of further cultural exchange between the Saurashtra and Tamil communities.
Thakur's remarks signify the growing momentum of the Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat initiative, which aims to promote unity and cultural exchange between different states and regions of India.
In his address Dr Murugan termed it as a historic day for the Tamil community.
Lauding the efforts of the Prime Minister for organizing the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, he emphasized the significance of such events in promoting the cultural unity of India.
He announced that the Prime Minister would organize the Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam in a similar way and thanked the Government of Gujarat and the Prime Minister for their support in this regard.
Dr Murugan highlighted the contributions of the Saurashtra community in the economy of Tamil Nadu and recalled about famous playback singer TMS (T.M.Soundarajan) who hailed from the Saurashtra community.
He also drew attention to the historical and spiritual connection between Somnath and Rameswaram and stressed the importance of promoting unity among all regions and communities of India.
He urged the Tamil community to come together and contribute towards the development of the country in line with the vision of the Prime Minister's Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas campaign.
UNI GV RKM