A compilation of the songs was published in over nine languages, including Braille.

In later years, the songs were translated and sung in Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Telugu, Sanskrit and Kannada, among other languages. Phadke and Madgulkar performed the songs all over the country in a two-hour-long Geet Ramayan programme. This reduced the freedom fighters to tears,” recalls Shridhar.Īfter 1956, recordings circulated in the form of LPs, cassettes and later as CDs. “The song, Paradhin Ahe Jagati Putra Manavacha, which describes the episode in the epic where Rama asks Bharat to return to his kingdom and keep his word as he leaves for exile, was once performed before Veer Sawarkar and Vinoba Bhave. The show’s popularity did not wane after it went off air in 1956. Mangeshkar gave voice to Maj Sang Lakshmana in which Sita pleads with Laxman for help after Rama abandons her. Phadke got popular artistes such as Vasantrao Deshpande, Manik Varma and Lata Mangeshkar to sing for the programme. The music - influenced by the Natyasangeet that was popular during the time - struck a chord with the listeners. Most importantly, he allowed Rama the emotions and weaknesses of a common man, thus relieving him of his divine stature, says Madgulkar’s son, Anand. Yet, it retained the complexities of the epic. Madgulkar’s writing was simple and lucid. The collaboration was a first-of-its-kind project on the Indian radio.

But the Hindu calendar had one extra month in 1955. The original writer-composer team had initially planned to release one song every week and thus, had worked on 52 songs. But with Geet Ramayan, it reached the smallest shops and houses,” says Shridhar. “At that time, the Ramayana only belonged to scholars. The programme was conceptualised by Sitakant Lad, who was the then-station manager of AIR, Pune. “This weekly ritual was followed for the entire year that the programme was aired,” says Shridhar. People would tie garlands to the radio and pray before the programme would begin. Since 2005, he has been carrying his father’s legacy forward by performing the songs across the country. “Madgulkar and Phadke didn’t know it then, but with that first song, a tradition was born,” says Shridhar Phadke.

Ramayan songs