Registration portal launched for Kashi Tamil Sangamam 5.0, scheduled November 28 to December 12, 2026, on the theme of learning the Thirukkural

Key facts

• Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi launched the registration portal on October 22, 2026, for the fifth edition of Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS 5.0), scheduled from November 28 to December 12, 2026.
• The theme of KTS 5.0 is “Thirukkural Payilvom – Thirukkural Abhyas Karen” (Let Us Learn the Thirukkural), aiming to bring the ethical and moral wisdom of the classical Tamil text Thirukkural closer to youth and learners across the country.
• Around 1,400 participants from Tamil Nadu, organised into seven groups of about 200 persons each, will undertake an eight-day journey comprising four days of travel and four days of visits and structured programmes.
• The itinerary will include Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya, featuring cultural, academic, domain-specific and spiritual engagements.
• Registration is through the portal https://kashitamil.iitm.ac.in/ hosted by IIT Madras, open from October 22 to November 13, 2026, under seven categories: Students, Teachers, Writers and Media Professionals, Agriculture and Allied Sectors, Professionals and Artisans, Women, and Spiritual leaders.
• A nationwide Students' Engagement Programme will be undertaken through 1,000 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the country to promote wider understanding of the Thirukkural.
• Thirukkural experts from Tamil Nadu will visit schools and colleges in Varanasi to introduce students to the core values of the text through orientation modules, interactive sessions and quizzes.
• The National Book Trust, in association with the Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya, will conduct interactive sessions in Varanasi schools on reading habits, storytelling and creative activities.
• The first Kashi Tamil Sangamam was held in 2022, and over four editions it has facilitated exchanges of knowledge, language, traditions and lived experiences between Tamil Nadu and Kashi.
• KTS 5.0 is organized by the Department of Higher Education, Union Ministry of Education, in collaboration with IIT Madras, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), the Central Institute of Classical Tamil (CICT), Chennai, the Uttar Pradesh Government and central ministries including Culture, Railways, School Education, Tourism, Textiles, Food Processing Industries, Information & Broadcasting, and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship.