TN Guv flags off 1st train heading for ‘Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam’

The first train carrying 288 delegates from Tamil Nadu to Saurashtra region in Gujarat aimed at strengthening ties between the two states as part of the upcoming ‘Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam’ was flagged off here by Governor R N Ravi on Saturday. The special train which departed from Madurai on April 14 arrived at the Chennai Egmore Railway Station here in the early hours of Saturday. Ravi flagged off the train, which has four coaches earmarked for delegates, and will reach Veraval in Gujarat after a 36-hour journey, Southern Railway officials said. On the lines of the recently concluded Kashi-Tamil Sangamam, the Centre has organised Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam under the ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ initiative spearheaded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Saurashtra Tamil Sangamam is another unique exercise with the objective of enhanced and continuous mutual interaction between people of varied regions and ways of life, the official website of the campaign said. It would be a unique example to showcase the oneness of India to the world that the Saurashtra Tamils have assimilated with traditions of Tamil Nadu and as well as preserved their language and traditions, the website stated. Saurashtra Tamils have actively participated in the freedom movement and also contributed to the art, trade and industry of Tamil Nadu that has earned the GI tag for the sarees and fabrics that they have produced with excellent skills, it said.