PM Modi to attend inaugural ceremony of 'Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam' in Somnath on April 17

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inaugural ceremony of the two-week long 'Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam' event on April 17 at Somnath in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district, the state government said on Wednesday.

This event is an attempt to highlight and rejuvenate the centuries-old ties and cultural links between Gujarat and Tamil Nadu due to the large presence of the Saurashtra Tamil community living in the southern state, Gujarat Health Minister and government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel said in Gandhinagar.

''The 'Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam' will be held between April 17 and 30 in Gujarat. Various events under this initiative will be organised across the state, including at Somnath and Dwarka of Saurashtra region. The inaugural ceremony will be held at Somnath on April 17 in the presence of PM Narendra Modi,'' he said.

People belonging to the Saurashtra Tamil community will come to Gujarat through special trains from Tamil Nadu, Patel said, adding that starting from April 14, one special train carrying nearly 300 invited guests will depart from Madurai station of Tamil Nadu everyday.

These guests and participants from Tamil Nadu will be taken to Somnath temple, Dwarkadhish temple, Shivrajpur beach in Saurashtra region and also at the 'Statue of Unity' in Narmada district, the minister said. According to him, during these two weeks, various seminars, competitions and other events will be organised.

''Many people from the Saurashtra region left their native place nearly a 1,000 years back and settled in Tamil Nadu. PM Modi came up with this idea of rejuvenating this centuries-old ties between the two states and help the Saurashtra Tamil community reconnect with their roots here,'' Patel said.