Describing Tamil as the pride of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (November 30, 2025) urged people to participate in the upcoming Kashi Tamil Sangamam as part of the endeavour to strengthen the spirit of “Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat (One India, great India)”.
“Tamil culture is great. Tamil language is great. Tamil is the pride of India,” Mr. Modi said in Tamil in his “Mann Ki Baat” address. The fourth Kashi Tamil Sangamam, organised on the theme ‘Learn Tamil-Tamil Karkalam’, commences on December 2 at Namo Ghat in Kashi.
Recounting various recent events, the PM noted that on November 26, a special event was held in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, the old Parliament House, on “Constitution Day”. The 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram marked the beginning of an array of nationwide programmes. “On November 25, the Dharmadhwaja was hoisted at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. On the same day, the Panchajanya Memorial was inaugurated at Jyotisar in Kurukshetra,” he said.
Mr. Modi said the country has set a historic record with food grain production of 357 million tonnes, an increase of 100 million tonnes in 10 years. India being declared the host of Commonwealth Games is another major achievement. He recently inaugurated the world’s largest LEAP (leading edge aviation propulsion) engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Hyderabad, marking a significant step in augmenting India’s aircraft maintenance and repair capability.
Last week, the indigenously designed INS Mahe was inducted into the Navy. “People in Puducherry and the Malabar Coast were delighted by the name [of the vessel] itself…many in Kerala and Tamil Nadu noted that the warship’s crest resembles the traditional flexible sword of Urumi and Kalaripayattu,” said Mr. Modi.
He underscored the importance of private space company Skyroot’s Infinity Campus in giving a fresh boost to India’s space ecosystem. He also mentioned a challenge organised by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to fly drones in conditions similar to that of Mars, where GPS navigation is not possible and drones would suddenly fall to the ground. “The drones had to fly with the help of their cameras and inbuilt software…,” he said, praising a team from Pune that succeeded in flying its drone in such conditions for some duration after multiple attempts.
Tourism
Drawing attention to winter tourism, Mr. Modi urged people to visit the Himalayan valleys. He said this season Uttarakhand attracted a lot of people. He said the Winter Games would be organised there soon. The “Wed in India” campaign had also picked up in winter, he noted. On navy-related tourism, he mentioned museums in Gujarat’s Diu and Goa and those located in INS Dronacharya (Fort Kochi); Samudrika Naval Marine Museum in Srivijayapuram, formerly known as Port Blair; Rabindranath Tagore Beach in Karwar; and Visakhapatnam.
The Prime Minister congratulated the Indian team for winning the ICC Women’s World Cup. In the Deaf Olympics (Tokyo), India recorded its best-ever performance with 20 medals. Women players won the Kabaddi World Cup. “Our players also performed brilliantly in the World Boxing Cup Finals, where they won 20 medals,” he said, making a special mention of the women’s team winning the Blind Cricket World Cup.
Mr. Modi recounted his recent visit to Coimbatore for a mega conference on natural farming. “I was deeply impressed by the efforts being made in South India towards natural farming. So many young, highly qualified professionals are now adopting the field…,” he said.
Stating that honey produced in different parts, including Jammu and Kashmir and Puttur (Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka), was gaining recognition, Mr. Modi noted that in 11 years, honey production had increased from 76,000 metric tonnes to over 1.5 lakh metric tonnes and its exports gone up over three-fold in the past few years. Under the Honey Mission programme, Khadi Gramodyog had distributed more than 2.25 lakh bee boxes, he said.
Mr. Modi commended Shivganga Kalanjiya, an organisation in Tumkuru (Karnataka), for its contributions to honey hunting in the area. “…a similar example is that of cliff-honey hunting in Nagaland. The Khiamni-Yangan tribe in Choklangan village of Nagaland has been engaged in honey extraction for centuries,” he said.
Sacred relics of Buddha
About his recent trip to Bhutan, he said everyone expressed gratitude to Indians for sending the sacred relics of Bhagwan Buddha there. The sacred relics have so far been sent to Kalmykia (Russia), Mongolia, Vietnam, and Thailand. “It is heart-warming to see such a deep connection to the sacred relics of Bhagwan Buddha..it gives one joy to hear how such initiatives become a medium to connect people across the world,” Mr. Modi said, also urging people to carry forward the mantra of “vocal for local”.
He shared his experience of a visit to Mahabharata Experience Centre in Kurukshetra (Haryana), where the epic is presented in 3D. He also attended the International Gita Mahotsav at Brahma Sarovar there. “People from many countries around the world, including Europe and Central Asia, participated in this festival,” he said. Earlier this month, Gita was performed on a public platform in Saudi Arabia for the first time. A Gita Mahotsav was also held in Latvia (Europe), where artists from Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, and Algeria participated.
He recalled the humanitarian contribution of Jam Saheb Maharaja Digvijay Singh of Nawanagar, Gujarat, who sheltered Polish Jewish children during World War-II, adding that a statue of him was recently unveiled in Moshav Nevatim in southern Israel as a tribute to his compassion.
Published – November 30, 2025 08:47 pm IST
