NE NEWS SERVICE
KANYAKUMARI, NOV 19
Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the month-long ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ in Varanasi, Kannyakumari District Railway Users’ Association (KKDRUA) on Saturday demanded the Centre to introduce a direct train service from Kanniyakumari to Varanasi via Tirunelveli and Madurai and name it as “Kashi Tamil Sangam” Express.
Kanyakumari District Railway Users’ Association has written a letter to the Union Railway Minister that, “We came to know that there was a proposal for introducing a weekly train service from Kanniyakumari to Varanasi in 2019-20 from the IRTTC Timetable meeting via Madurai. The proposal to run Kanyakumari weekly train to Varanasi on Friday and Varanasi to Kanyakumari on Sundays had been accepted and approved. WeI have learnt that this proposal which was sanctioned by Railway Board but it is still pending implementation. Hence we request you very seriously to implement the same at the earliest. The soft copy of the proposal is enclosed herewith.”
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“Therefore, we request the railway authorities to introduce a super-fast train from Kanyakumari to Varanasi via Tirunelveli, Madurai, and Dindigul,” said KKDRUA president S R Sreeram and secretary P Edward Jeni.
The duo further added that “The Indian Railways have been operating various trains with historical names to remind everyone about past history. A few examples would be Nellai, Pandian, Ananthapuri, etc. However, there is no train named the Kashi Tamil Sangam Express. Hence, a new weekly train should be operated from Kanniyakumari to Varanasi via Tirunelveli, Madurai and Chennai. Having quoted the relevance of the said name, ‘Kashi Tamil Sangam Express’ has to be taken into consideration.”
Kashi Tamil Sangamam-2022 program was started in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh as part of the 75th year of Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav Jubilee celebrations. Kashi Tamil Sangamam Project is organized by Bharatiya Pasha Samithi to rediscover and celebrate the ancient culture, tradition and intellectual connection between Kashi, one of the holy places of Hindus, and Tamil Nadu.
What is more important is the fact that these two manifestations of Indian Culture, though geographically distant, have had deep and vibrant links over centuries. Knowledge seekers from near and far used to come to Kashi, and places in and around like Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, which are internally connected as Knowledge Hubs. Similarly, in Tamil Nadu, places like Kanchipuram, Puducherry, Madurai, Thanjavur, Rameswaram, Srirangam, Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tamraparani River have been excellent knowledge centers/ Ghatikasthanas and have contributed for various ancient industries like shipbuilding, pottery, weaving, idol making, mining, warfare, weaponry etc.
The most ancient places are located in and around Varanasi temple. As there is no direct railway plying between Varanasi and some South Tamilnadu places like Dindigul, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil and Kanyakumari. The Varanasi devotees of South Tamilnadu face the problem of non-availability of a direct train to Varanasi.
