National Press
"BLOCK-BUSTER IN THE HISTORY OF INDIAN TELEVISION…"
"…It has set the Saryu on fire. Why only the Saryu, the Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri, even the mythical Saraswati, appear to have been affected.
Undoubtedly, "Ramayana" is a block-buster in the history of Indian television. On August 1, a crowd of over 40,000 waited patiently outside Jaipur's Birla Mandir to have a glimpse of Rama (Arun Govil) and Sita (Dipika) who were due to grace of shrine. Even ministers jostled with mesmerised fans for a "darshan". Whether it is Ahmedabad or Patna, Chandigarh or Jaipur, a large number of viewers, especially women, regard the serial as their main method of communion with God. Consequently, many bathe early and light sticks of incense or earthen lamps while the serial is telecast…" The Times of India, Mumbai.” – Times of India, Mumbai.
"Ramanand Sagar's 78-episode TV serial Ramayan produced under the banner Sagar Arts was first telecast in 1987 on Doordarshan. The world”s most viewed mythological serial till June 2003, its each weekly episode ran for 35 minutes when it was first aired. It had the whole nation enthralled so much that each Sunday morning life in every part of India came to a standstill for an hour. Special arrangements for viewing the serial were made at street corners, community centres, shop fronts. Subsequently, with repeat telecast on 20 different channels in 17 countries on all five continents at different times, it has been aired for over 2,000 hours. As per BBC figures, the serial has been viewed by over 650 million people worldwide of which, 40 million Indian viewers regularly watched it on its first telecast. Forever popular it is still running on DD Metro.” - Limca Book of Records (Limca is a registered trademark owned by the Coca-Cola Company)
"For more than a year the Ram Katha presented on the small screen kept viewers glued to their sets ..... Streets empty out as the clock edges towards 9:30 a.m. Cab drivers prefer not to stop for a waving passenger but rush to the nearest television set. There were instances of all social barriers being overlooked with the haves sharing the TV with the have-nots. Villagers in Uttar Pradesh had pooled money and bought black and white TV sets for community viewing as some villages did not have enough sets to cater to the entire population. It was as though a curfew was declared on the streets, whether in Muslim dominated Kashmir or Christian Kerala. Even in Lahore, Muslims who know the “RAMAYAN” tradition - sit and watch." - The HINDU – Madras.
"...... There is no denying the fact that RAMAYAN has certainly affected the lives of millions of viewers across the country............" The AFTERNOON, Mumbai.
"...... seldom has a television serial aroused such a phenomenal response ......." INDIA TODAY – Delhi.
“RAMAYAN has generated a lot of interest in Indian culture, cutting across all barriers of caste, creed and class.........” - HINDUSTAN TIMES – Delhi.
“56 Events that Changed India- Ramayan in January 1986. After the Sagar's discovered Arun Govil's beatific smile and the power of televisual religion, Sunday mornings were never the same again. Nor was India, with Sagar's miracle-a-minute amalgam of 14 different versions of Valmiki's epic keeping pace with an aggressive and unapologetic Hindutva that swept the nation.” - India Today • August 18th 2003
"A Divine Sensation"…India Today
International Press
....... seen by 650 million Indians ......” - BBC
..... 3200 years old Indian epic - RAMAYANA - Streets became deserted as Indians abandoned work and chores to watch the adventure of Lord Rama .......” - CNN
.... The Trail blaser for this genre came 10 years ago with the television serialization of a 3200 year old Indian epic - Ramayan....” by Anita Pratap, South Asia Bureau Chief, CNN
“..... RAMAYAN is India's most successful television serial, watched weekly by an estimated 40 million. The advertising revenue it generates amounts to about 10 million rupees ( 450,000 sterling pound ), 10 per cent of the monthly income of Doordarshan, the state-run television network ......” - The Times, London
“TV supersoap brings nation to its knees in prayer .......when RAMAYAN is shown, life in cities, towns and villages across India comes to a virtual standstill. Conches are blown in celebration and incense sticks burned atop TV sets.” - The Sunday Times, London.
“.... 40 per cent of those tuning in were American viewers..........” - VANCOUVER SUN - USA
“The RAMAYAN,” an Indian serial based on Hindu legends ....” - THE NEW YORK TIMES – Highlights.
“........“RAMAYAN” was so popular, even with non-Hindus, that some Christian churches rescheduled Sunday services so that parishioners wouldn”t miss it.............” - The WALL STREET JOURNAL -N.Y (Front Page)
International Television Ratings:
“... RAMAYAN generated significant Neilson rating when telecast on “Eye on Asia” in New York ... - NIELSEN Ratings
International Film Festival:
“Ramayan” was invited to enter the competition in International Audio Visual programme (FIFA) Cannes International Festival.
Books
“NO FULL STOPS IN INDIA” - A book by Mark Tully - BBC Correspondent - gave 27 pages - one complete chapter to Ramanand Sagar”s “RAMAYAN” and its unbelievable popularity - the phenomena of the RAMAYAN.
5 VOLUMES OF RAMAYANA in Japanese language for Osaka University of Foreign Studies - teaching RAMAYAN to Japanese student in Osaka University by Prof. Tomio Mizokami.
Book HINDUISM ... contains reproduction in black and white the photographs of RAM-SITA Professor Knott”s book HINDUISM: A Very Short Introduction Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford.
'Politics after Television' book by Arvind Rajgopal (Hindu Nationalism and the reshaping of the Public in India) In January 1987, the Indian state-run television began broadcasting a Hindu epic in serial form, the Ramayan, to nationwide audiences, violating a decades-old taboo on religious partisanship, in post independence times, around the symbol of Lord Ram, led by Hindu Nationalists.
Documentaries/Films
Documentary “MILLENNIUM” - A thousand years of history ....using clippings from “RAMAYAN” in the their documentary called “Millennium” Ten hours of television software... . Popular television serial Ramayana which served as a wonderful way to link the present with the past.....A Television documentary series by M/s Rosalind Bentley, Produced by Jeremy Isaacs Productions Ltd.