The Beginning of India’s Cultural Renaissance
Context:
- A new era in which traditional Indian practises are blending with modern ones and being revitalised to achieve both cultural and economic success was heralded by the month-long Kashi Tamil Sangamam, which highlighted Tamil culture. It provided a rich cultural foundation for India’s ambition to become a developed country by 2047. The event carried on our Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat custom.
Historical ties:
- The two stout foundations of prehistoric Indian civilization are Tamil Nadu, home to the world’s oldest language, and Kashi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the world. Both nations have rich and illustrious histories in the fields of music, crafts, philosophy, literature, and the arts.
- However, for decades after independence, the majority of people in north India were unaware of the Tamil saints who lived in Kashi and contributed to its spiritual atmosphere, the tradition of sending holy Ganga jal (water) to the Rameshwaram temple, or the Kashi Yatra rite in some Tamil weddings. Similar to Tamil Nadu, a large portion of the population was ignorant of the deep ties that existed between the two cultures.
- People from various walks of life in Tamil Nadu attended the ceremony at Kashi. They experienced the traditions and well-known locations of the city, such as the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The new tunnel, which has altered and enhanced the sacred area, was how they entered the temple.
- The famous Kashi Vishwanath corridor, which connects the Jyotirling with the Ganga for the benefit of both villagers and visitors, strengthens traditions with a touch of modernity.
- Similar to this, the Sangamam created a unique platform to investigate and integrate our ancient knowledge with modern thought, philosophy, technology, and craftsmanship. Additionally, it promotes concepts that will help our artisans, weavers, entrepreneurs, and traders.
- For instance, Varanasi is well recognised for Banarasi silk saris, and Kancheepuram is well known for their glimmering silk saris. It will be particularly advantageous for weavers and businesspeople from the two regions to engage and be exposed to modern branding, quality control, marketing, product uniformity, use of modern machinery, and value addition.
The focus on textiles:
- The government held a “textiles conference” during the Sangamam. Several well-known individuals from Tamil Nadu and Kashi from all facets of the textile business participated in a conversation on Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 where they shared their experiences and thoughts. They were thrilled and motivated by the government’s plan to boost textile exports to $100 billion by 2030 and provide new prospects for the sector.
- The textiles sector, which has a sizable amount of potential for job generation, is crucial to our effort to become a developed country by 2047. The Indian textile market is anticipated to develop at a CAGR of 12–13% from 2017 to 2047, reaching $2 trillion with double-digit export growth.
- The last day of Sangamam was December 16. Nearly 2 lakh people came to the campus of the Banaras Hindu University to attend cultural events and a well-attended exhibition exhibiting Tamil products and cuisine. India now has a newfound cultural fervour and has increased its curiosity as a result of the Sangamam. The textile sector is planning a similar event in Tamil Nadu.
New initiatives:
- The 5F formula, which stands for “farm, fibre, fabric, fashion, and foreign,” will hasten industrial development and alter how farmers and weavers live. Tamil Nadu and Kashi are key stakeholders in achieving this goal. Additionally, the government is fostering the incredibly potential industry of technical textiles. These products include fabrics that are used for building materials, safety equipment, ballistic coats, and automobiles. Man-made fibre, which has tremendous development and export potential, is another area of attention.
- The Sangamam followed all of this administration’s directives. With an emphasis on the welfare of the poorest of the poor, love of Indian culture, and encouragement of local enterprises and handicrafts, accelerating development is given great priority in these programmes.
- The One District One Product (ODOP) project, which would offer Indian goods to the global market, is also being strongly promoted by the union government. In addition to saris, wooden toys were the main topic of the textiles colloquium. Traditional wooden toys from Varanasi are increasingly being requested for export and are showcased at international trade events.
- Traditional goods will also be greatly benefited by other government initiatives like the Government e-Marketplace and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) (GeM).
- The ONDC is built on top of an open protocol. It is a non-profit organisation that will offer a network to enable any network-enabled applications to locate and communicate with nearby digital commerce businesses across industries.
- The ONDC network is open to any currently accessible digital commerce applications and platforms; it is neither an aggregator application nor a hosting platform.
Conclusion:
- The Home Minister has stated that the Sangamam is the beginning of an Indian cultural resurgence that extends beyond the merger of Tamil Nadu and Kashi. It will include every culture in our lovely country.
