Union Minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh took an overnight solo train ride from Howrah to Varanasi and shared his experience on social media, ahead of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam event in the Uttar Pradesh city which is also the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Singh, the Minister of State for External Affairs and Education, told NDTV he had been thinking about travelling on a train for some time as the last train ride he took was 40 years ago.
The Union Minister was one of the key speakers this morning at the Kashi Tamil Sangamam, where he explained in detail opportunities and success stories of the Mudra scheme, Make In India policy, and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.
"I wanted to take a train journey after a long time, 40 years. I have seen a lot of development in the railway sector. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ji have done a lot of work for this sector," Mr Singh told NDTV.
Before the train pulled out of Howrah in West Bengal, the Union Minister posted photos with passengers and officials on X, formerly Twitter.
"A journey by train... for the Kashi Tamil Sangamam. Our resolutions as initiated by Narendra Modi ji in Amrit Kaal will be fulfilled by the unity and collective efforts of the whole country," Mr Singh said in the post.
Delegates from Tamil Nadu and other visitors attended the academic session of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam.
"Today's closing ceremony of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam isn't the end, but the start of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat', the spirit of which has the potential to strengthen the nation's integrity and integration," Mr Singh said at the event in Varanasi.
"The three pivotal initiatives in India - Mudra, Make In India, and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, conceived with the vision of fostering inclusive growth and economic empowerment, have not only provided opportunities but have also given rise to inspiring success narratives that underscore the strength of collaborative endeavours," Mr Singh said.
"As we celebrate these achievements, let us continue to nurture and expand these collaborative efforts to build a future where every individual has the opportunity to thrive and contribute to the collective prosperity of our nation," the Union Minister said.
The Kashi Tamil Sangamam is a platform to understand unity in India's civilisational assets through two historic centres of knowledge and culture, and such an understanding is essential to uphold the spirit of 'Ore Bharatham, Unnadha Bharatham' (Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat, or united Bharat, strong Bharat), the event organisers say on their official website.
The first big event of showing the living bonds between Varanasi and Tamil Nadu - two important centres of learning and culture in ancient India - was organised as Kashi Tamil Sangamam in November-December 2022.
It received an overwhelming response - over 2,500 people from Tamil Nadu travelled to Varanasi and its neighbouring areas for eight days. They had an immersive experience of different aspects of life in and around Varanasi, including Prayagraj and Ayodhya, and shared their experiences too.
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