From ‘Hey Ram, hey Ram’ to ‘Payo ji maine’, here are 10 Ram bhajans that have made a comeback

Ram bhajans have been gaining popularity, especially in the runup to Monday’s consecration, and are diverse in range. Here’s a list of the top bhajans from the last two decades.

A glimpse of the ‘Ram Lalla’ idol in Ayodhya | ANI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted the pran pratishtha, or consecration, of Ram Lalla — the child version of the Hindu deity Ram — in the temple city of Ayodhya Monday in a ceremony watched over by over 8,000 invites and crores of people worldwide. 

The runup to the ceremony saw the comeback of many popular Ram bhajans, or devotional songs. Popularised in the 90s by singers such as Anup Jalota and Anuradha Paudwal and even ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh, these songs have a wide range — from the slow repetitiveness of ‘Hey Ram, hey Ram’ to the more upbeat ‘Nagri ho Ayodhya si’. 

Shri Ramchandra kripalu bhajman 

Written by the 16th-century poet of the Bhakti Movement, Tulsidas, this bhajan, composed by Kedar Pandit, is in praise of Ram. It was popularised by Anuradha Paudwal and was part of her 1988 album ‘Tulsi Bhajanamrit’ and later part of her other devotional albums ‘Greatest Mantras’, ‘Shlokas’ and ‘Aartis’. 

On 11 January — just over 10 days before the consecration  — Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a video of a young girl singing the song. 

आज जब अयोध्या धाम में श्री राम लला की अगवानी को लेकर हर ओर आनंद का वातावरण है, ऐसे में सूर्यगायत्री जी की यह स्तुति हर किसी को भक्ति-भाव से भर देने वाली है। #ShriRamBhajan https://t.co/Ysmn2ocNAP

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 11, 2024

Pal pal hai bhaari

Bollywood has its own share of bhajans. Among the more recent Ram bhajans in Hindi cinema was ‘Pal Pal Hai Bhaari’ from the 2004 Shahrukh Khan-starrer Swades. 

Written by Javed Akhtar and composed by A.R. Rahman, the song was sung by Madhushree, Vijay Prakash, and the movie’s director, Ashutosh Gowariker.

Ram aayenge

Also popularised in the 1990s, this bhajan written by Manoj Muntashir has been covered by several singers such as Vishal Mishra, Swati Mehul, and Jaya Kishori covering it, with social media users even using it in Instagram reels last Diwali. 

Like Shri Ramchandra kripalu bhajman, a rendition of this bhajan was also retweeted by Modi as part of the viral #ShriRamBhaja campaign. That video has more than 47 million views on YouTube. 

स्वस्ति जी का ये भजन एक बार सुन लें तो लंबे समय तक कानों में गूंजता रहता है। आंखों को आंसुओं से, मन को भावों से भर देता है। #ShriRamBhajan https://t.co/0nD3XmAbzk

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 6, 2024

Hey Ram, hey Ram

No bhajan programme in the 90s was ever complete with ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh’s soulful Ram bhajan ‘Hey Ram, Hey Ram’. Still popular among Ram devotees, this bhajan was written by ghazal poet Sudarshan Kamra, known popularly as Sudarshan Faakir. The music was composed by Jagjit Singh. 

Hum katha sunate

This popular song was part of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, which originally aired on  Doordarshan between 1987 and 1988. The bhajan, which, in the show was sung by Ram’s sons Luv and Kush, was composed and written by Ravindra Jain. Several artistes such as Kavita Krishnamurthy, Hemlata, and Ravindra Jain have covered the song through the years. 

Payo ji maine Ram ratan dhan payo

This song, originally written by Jalota, is still the most famous of the Ram bhajans. Sung from 16th-century Bhakti saint Meera Bai’s point of view, the song has been covered by many other artistes, including Lata Mangeshkar. That rendition, available on YouTube, has 5.8 million views.

Thumak thumak chalat Ramchandra 

While many singers, including Mangeshkar, have covered the song, it is Jalota’s version that remains the most popular. Written by Tulsidas, the song is about a toddler Ram learning to walk. A two-year-old video of this song has 3.5 million views.

Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram

Often referred to as Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan, this song, whose origins are unclear, gained immense popularity during the Indian freedom movement, 

Nagri ho Ayodhya si 

Another all-time favourite Ram bhajan, the song’s origins are unknown. But it has been covered by several singers, with Bhojpuri singer Maithili Thakur’s version, set to the tune of a traditional Punjabi ‘tappa’, amassing more than 9 million views on YouTube.

Shri Ram Janki baithe hain

This song, originally sung by Lakhbir Singh Lakha, has been very popular among youngsters and has inspired a number of Instagram reels and memes. Lakha’s original song on YouTube has over 82 million views. 

(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)