- Wednesday, April 16, 2025
By: indiaweekly.biz Staff
The Ramayan was back on Indian television today, recalling for many those epic mornings an age ago when entire families, and even neighbours, gathered before clunky television boxes for their weekly fix of television and religion.
The streets were empty today, like they used to be nearly three decades ago when Ramanand Sagar’s serial that brought to life in garish and grainy colour the story of the noble prince and his 14-year exile began airing every Sunday.
Then, it was about people glued to television screens, some even praying before it, planning their day around that one hour a week and making sure they go nowhere. Now, it is about a lockdown in a highly tech efficient world of 24-hour entertainment as India and the world battle the coronavirus pandemic.
The government’s announcement that it would rerun the show on DD National at 9am and 9pm everyday brought back nostalgia for times that were simpler and TV viewing was about community.
When neighbours with television sets opened their doors for others and families timed their routine to match the screenings.
Ramayan, which began its telecast in 1987, made household names out of its two stars Arun Govil and Deepika Chikhalia.
Govil, like many others, watched the show as it aired on Saturday morning, calling it a “nostalgic” moment.
“It is overwhelming to see the love for the show today and even when it aired. It is good that the show is back, the timing is great for the release as everyone is at home with their family. It is a show meant to be watched with the entire family, the young generation with the old generation,” Govil, 62, told PTI.
The actor, who was part of another memorable mythological show Vikram Aur Betaal on Doordarshan, said it was destiny that brought the show back on the television.
“Ramayan teaches a lot of things, and is relevant in today’s scenario of coronavirus as well. It is about doing your work and being disciplined. A lot of people are still out, they should not cross the ‘Laxman rekha’,” he said, evoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s line in his speech while announcing the 21-day lockdown.
Deepika, who played Sita, said: “It was different back then. I remember watching it with 50 to 80 people and today it was just four of us watching it at home. Back then we saw Ramayan at Sagar sahab’s bungalow, everyone from the cast had come to see. It was a different feel, TV was big then.”
The actress said it was good to bring the show back in these times of “gloom”.
“It is the right time because the scenes are so gloomy and economically we are bad, at every stage and phase, the world is suffering. You just sit back and pray to God and hope we all come out of it. The government is giving you something to sit back and think positively as you are in isolation,” she added.
Actor Kajal Agarwal said the show brought back memories of childhood. “Taking me back to childhood. Ramayan and Mahabharat on @DDNational with the entire family. This was our routine weekend plan. So glad it’s started, great way for kids to learn Indian mythology,” she wrote.
For many others, too, it was just a walk down memory lane.
A nostalgic viewer, Sunil Kumar, said: “It is a good step from the government. People need distraction from reading and watching about coronavirus. Our faith is something that binds us together. I have seen ‘Ramayan’ and ‘Mahabharat’ many a times but I will watch it again as I have so many fond memories of watching the show with my mother and brothers.”
With Ramayan and Mahabharat making a comeback back, many people wanted re-runs of old shows such as Jaspal Bhatti’s Flop Show, detective drama Byomkesh Bakshi, Shah Rukh Khan’s Fauji and Circus.
