varanasi several artistes from tamil nadu including legendary musician illaiyaraja will perform at the inaugural ceremony of the monthlong kashi tamil sangamam at amphitheatre ground of banaras hindu university bhu on saturdaytalking to reporters on thursday divisional commissioner kaushal raj sharma said illaiyaraja with his troupe will perform on the occasion the groups will be given a rousing welcome at the railway station as well as hotels on their arrival a team of officials from various departments has been assigned to take care of the visiting guests the first group of tamil people which has left for kashi will arrive at banaras station on friday nighthe further said prime minister narendra modi during the inaugural ceremony may interact with the visiting troupes and eminent persons besides addressing a public meeting a cultural programme showcasing the culture of tamil nadu will also be held in which several eminent artistes will performhe said the objective of the monthlong event is to celebrate reaffirm and rediscover the ageold links between tamil nadu and kashi two of the countrys most important and ancient seats of learning the programme aims to provide a common platform to people of all walks of life from the two regions to share their knowledge culture and best practices and learn from each others experiencethe visitors will participate in seminars and interact with local people of similar trade profession and interest an exhibition of handlooms handicrafts odop products books documentaries cuisine art forms history and tourist places of the two regions will also be held during the monthlong extravaganza this apart an exhibition depicting the struggle of freedom fighters and two others by national book trust and central institute of languages will also be held as many as 51 cultural programmes are lined up for the sangamamcultural programmes that will showcase the culture of tamil nadu include meenakshi chittaranjans bharatanatyam folk music irula and other tribal dances and villupatta an ancient musical storytelling it will also feature mythological historical drama puppet shows based on shiva purana ramayana and mahabharata said an officialaround 3000 people of 2 different groups from tamil nadu are expected to reach varanasi for the event meanwhile the district administration and police conducted mock drills to check the security under the supervision of spg and reviewed other preparations for the event