Chennai, Feb 13 (Reporter) Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Thursday flagged off the journey of the first contingent of 212 delegates to Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0 by a special train on Thursday. The Governor flagged off the special train at the Dr MGR Central Railway Station in the presence of senior officials of the Southern Railways. The delegates comprising students, writers and teachers were accorded a grand reception at the Railway Station and were facilitated through help desks for boarding the Kashi Tamil Sangamam special train that left for Banaras at 1445 hours today. Mr Ravi accorded a warm welcome to the inaugural batch of delegates, presenting them with roses. He also honored the students with delegate bags, a special memento of their participation in the Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0. To facilitate seamless connectivity for passengers from Tamil Nadu to Varanasi for Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0, Southern Railway is operating five pairs of special trains in coordination with implementing agencies for the program viz. IIT Madras and Banaras Hindu University (BHU). These trains will depart from Dr. MGR Central Railway (two services), Kanniyakumari (two services) and Coimbatore Railway station (one service) connecting important cities en route in Tamil Nadu. Kashi Tamil Sangamam 3.0 is to be held from February 15 to 24. This year's theme honors the revered sage Agastiyar. This year's event holds special significance, coinciding with the grand celebration of Maha Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj. The 10-day long cultural event will feature exhibitions, seminars, workshops, book releases, and other informative activities. Nearly 1,080 delegates from Tamil Nadu from different spectrum of life, namely students, writers, teachers, artists, farmers, professionals, and researchers are participating in this year's event. Additionally, 200 students across all Central Universities are to participate in this enriching experience, the celebration of shared heritage, traditions, and knowledge. Kaushal Kishore, Additional General Manager, Southern Railway, B. Vishwanath Eerya, Divisional Railway Manager, Tej Partap Singh, Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Senior Officials of Chennai Division, members of Kashi Tamil Sangamam Committee, including Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, Dr. Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti, Dr. Sudha Seshayyan, R Chandrasekaran, Director of CICT, representatives from Ramakrishna Mutt, staff and rail users participated in the event...////...