VARANASI, Dec. 14 -- An academic session on "Prosperous Women, Prosperous India" was held under the ongoing Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS) 4.0, highlighting the pivotal role of women in India's social, economic and cultural development. The session was coordinated by Dr Gowri Balachander of IIT (BHU). In his welcome address, Prof Ashish Tripathi of the Department of Hindi described Tamil as one of India's oldest living languages and termed the session a symbolic confluence of Tamil and Prakrit linguistic traditions. He recalled the contributions of women icons such as Rani Velu Nachiyar, Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy, Moovalur Ramamirtham, MS Subbulakshmi and Dr Indira Nui in advancing women's empowerment and social reform. Prof Manisha Mehrotra of the department of economics spoke on the importance of Geographical Indication (GI) tags in protecting and promoting indigenous products. She noted that 33 of the 70 GI-tagged products in Uttar Pradesh are from Varanasi. Referring to government initiatives such as One District One Product (ODOP) and Lakhpati Didi, she underlined their role in poverty alleviation and women-led entrepreneurship. She also pointed out that 33% of MSME businesses in Tamil Nadu are owned by women. Padma Shri awardee Rajanikant, popularly known as the "GI Man of India", described the event as a matter of pride and spiritual significance. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Vocal for Local" initiative, he linked it to women's empowerment through handloom and traditional crafts. Renowned scholar and musician Shivshri Skandaprasad said she felt no cultural distance between Kashi and Tamil Nadu, as both are deeply rooted in spiritual traditions. She traced the historical journey of women-from being repositories of knowledge in the Vedic period to facing challenges in medieval times-and reaffirmed that prosperity is symbolised by the feminine principle, Shri. Prof Meenakshi Jha of the centre for women studies and development traced the roots of women's movements to the colonial era, noting that the Madras Presidency emerged as a hub of women's organisations. She highlighted the participation of Tamil women in the Satyagraha movement inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and said that economically independent women strengthen the nation. "Women's emancipation is not a gift to women; it is a gift to humanity," she said. The session concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Alok Pandey of the centre for integrated rural development, who expressed gratitude to the speakers, organisers and participants....