Vanakkam Saurashtra! Vanakkam Tamil Nadu!
Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, Governor of Nagaland Shri La Ganesan ji, Governor of Jharkhand Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan ji, my colleagues in the Union Cabinet Parshottam Rupala ji, L Murugan ji and Meenakshi Lekhi ji, other dignitaries associated with this event, ladies and gentlemen!
सौराष्ट्र तमिळ् संगमम्, निगळ्-चियिल्, पंगेर्-क वन्दिरुक्कुम्, तमिळग सोन्दन्गळ् अनैवरैयुम्, वरुग वरुग एन वरवेरकिरेन्। उन्गळ् अनैवरैयुम्, गुजरात मण्णिल्, इंड्रु, संदित्तदिल् पेरु मगिळ्ची।
Friends,
It is true that the pleasure of hospitality is very unique. But, when someone returns home after years, then that happiness, enthusiasm and gaiety is something different. Today, every single person of Saurashtra is giving a warm welcome to their brothers and sisters who have come from Tamil Nadu. Today, I am also virtually present among my near and dear ones from Tamil Nadu with the same spirit.
I remember when I was the Chief Minister (of Gujarat), I had organized such a grand Saurashtra Sangamam in Madurai in 2010. More than 50,000 of our brothers and sisters from Saurashtra had come to participate in that event. And today, the same waves of affection and intimacy are visible on the land of Saurashtra. All of you have come in such a large number from Tamil Nadu to the land of your ancestors, to your homes. Seeing the happiness on your faces, I can say, you will take back a lot of memories and emotional experiences from here.
You have also enjoyed tourism in Saurashtra a lot. You have also seen Sardar Patel's Statue of Unity, which connects the country from Saurashtra to Tamil Nadu. In other words, we can see the precious memories of the past, the affinity and experience of the present, and the resolutions and inspirations for the future in the 'Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamam'. I congratulate all the people of Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu for this wonderful event.
Friends,
Today, we are witnessing a new tradition of cultural events like ‘Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamam’ in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence. ‘Kashi-Tamil Sangamam’ was organized in Banaras just a few months ago, which was a matter of discussion in the whole country. Since then, many spontaneous efforts of such programs have been launched in different parts of the country. And, today we are witnessing the confluence of two ancient streams of India once again on the land of Saurashtra.
This 'Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam' event is not just a confluence of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. It is also a celebration of the worship of 'Shakti' in the form of Goddess Meenakshi and Goddess Parvati. It is also a celebration of the spirit of ‘Shiva' in the form of Lord Somnath and Lord Ramnath. This ‘Sangamam’ is the confluence of the land of Nageshwar and Sundareshwar. This is the confluence of the land of Shri Krishna and Shri Ranganath. This is the confluence of Narmada and Vaigai. This is the confluence of Dandiya and Kolattam. This is the confluence of the traditions of holy cities like Dwarka and Madurai. And, this ‘Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamam’ is the confluence of Sardar Patel and Subramania Bharati's Nation First determination. We have to move forward with these resolutions. We have to move forward for nation building by taking this cultural heritage along.
Friends,
India is a country that sees its diversity as a specialty. We are the people who celebrate diversity. We celebrate different languages and dialects, different arts and genres. From our faith to our spirituality, there is diversity everywhere. We worship Shiva, but the method of worship in the twelve Jyotirlingas has its own variations. We also research and worship Brahma in different forms as 'Eko Aham Bahusyam'. We bow down to different rivers of the country in mantras like 'Gange Cha Yamune Chaiva, Godavari Saraswati'.
This diversity does not divide us, but strengthens our bond, our relationship. Because we know, when different streams come together, a confluence is created. Therefore, we have been nurturing these traditions for centuries, from the confluence of rivers to the confluence of ideas in events like Kumbh. This is the power of Sangam, which ‘Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam’ is taking forward in a new form today. Today, when the unity of the country is taking shape in the form of such great festivals, Sardar Sahib must be blessing us. It is also the fulfilment of the dreams of thousands and lakhs of freedom fighters of the country, who sacrificed their lives and dreamed of 'Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat'.
Friends,
On the completion of 75 years of independence, the country has invoked the 'Panch Prana' (five pledges) of 'Pride in Heritage'. The pride in our heritage will increase further when we get to know it, try to get to know ourselves by getting free from the mentality of slavery! Be it ‘Kashi Tamil Sangamam’ or ‘Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam’, these events are becoming an effective movement in this direction.
You see, there is so much between Gujarat and Tamil Nadu that has been deliberately kept out of our knowledge. A little discussion of the migration from Saurashtra to Tamil Nadu during the period of foreign invasions was limited to some scholars of history. But even before that, there has been a deep connection between these two states since mythological times. This cultural fusion of Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu, of the West and the South, is a flow that has been in motion for thousands of years.
Friends,
Today we have the goals of India of 2047. We also have the challenges of slavery and the seven decades that followed. We have to take the country forward, but on the way, there will be forces that break us apart and people who mislead us. But, India has the power to innovate even in the toughest of circumstances, the shared history of Saurashtra and Tamil Nadu gives us this assurance.
You recall when foreign invaders started attacking India. The first such major attack was on the country's culture and honour in the form of Somnath. Centuries ago, there were no resources like we have today. There was no era of information technology and there were no fast trains and planes for commuting. But, our forefathers knew that हिमालयात् समारभ्य, यावत् इन्दु सरोवरम्। तं देव-निर्मितं देशं, हिन्दुस्थानं प्रचक्षते॥ That is, from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean, this entire Devbhoomi is our own country India. That's why, they didn't worry that there would be new languages, new people, and a new environment so far away, so how would they live there. A large number of people migrated from Saurashtra to Tamil Nadu to protect their faith and identity. The people of Tamil Nadu welcomed them with open arms and extended all facilities to them for a new life. What can be a bigger and loftier example of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’?
Friends,
The great saint Thiruvalluvar ji had said: अगन् अमर्न्दु, सेय्याळ् उरैयुम् मुगन् अमर्न्दु, नल् विरुन्दु, ओम्बुवान् इल् i.e. happiness, prosperity and fortune stays with those who happily welcome others into their home. Therefore, we have to emphasize harmony, not cultural clashes. We don't have to take forward the struggles; we have to take forward the Sangams and Samagams. We don't have to find differences; we want to make emotional connections.
The people of Saurashtra origin settled in Tamil Nadu and the people of Tamilgam welcomed them. All of you adopted Tamil, but at the same time, remembered the language, food and customs of Saurashtra. This is the immortal tradition of India which takes everyone along and moves forward with inclusiveness, accepts everyone and moves forward.
I am happy that we all are taking forward the contribution of our forefathers with a sense of duty. I would like you to invite people from different parts of the country in the same way at the local level and give them an opportunity to know and breathe India. I am sure ‘Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam’ will prove to be a historic initiative in this direction.
With this spirit, I thank you once again that you came in such large numbers from Tamil Nadu. I would have enjoyed more had I personally come and welcome you there. But I could not come due to lack of time. But today I have got the opportunity to meet all of you virtually. We have to take the spirit that we have seen in this entire Sangamam forward. We have to follow that spirit. And we have to prepare our future generations as well for the same. Thank you very much. Vanakkam!
