TRP Shows India Is Hooked To Ramayan Once Again. Here's Why

Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan is back on DD National to entertain people during the 21-day national lockdown. According to a statement released by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, there had been a public demand to bring back this old show, and many more. For those who do not know, the show was very popular among the masses in the late 1980s, so much so that the actors who played the central characters in this visual telling of the Indian epic became the faces associated with Ram, Sita and Laxman for a generation.

Ramayan is aired on DD national twice a day, in the morning and evening. If we go by the numbers, the show is enjoying the same love and fame that it is used to get three decades ago.

I remember the whole neighborhood would come together and watch the epic on television leading to discussions around truth, falsehood, relationships and societal roles. This is sheer nostalgia - Preeti Taneja

How is Ramayan faring three decades later?

• Ramayan episode on Sunday recorded the highest viewership by any show since 2015 in the Hindi General Entertainment Channel category.
• The viewership for Ramayan peaked on Sunday evening, with figures touching 51 million (5.1 crore) viewers from 34 million (3.4 crore) viewers on Saturday morning.
• A lot of urbanites also watched it as it was highest rated in urban areas, including the metro cities.
• In all, the four telecasts of Ramayan on Saturday and Sunday garnered an average of 28.7 million ( 2.87 crore) impressions and 6.9 billion (690 crore) viewing minutes.
• The average reach of the four episodes was 42.6 million.

Also: Why Readers Love Re-Interpreting Sita And Other Mythological Women?

What Indians have to say

50-year-old Anupama Kathuria living in Delhi says that she is reliving her childhood days. "It feels so good to watch Ramayan again on television. I used to watch it as a child and now, I am in a different phase of life and I can relate to it so much more than I used to do earlier. I also ensure that my children watch it with me and learn the important lessons of life."

Another Delhiite 48-year-old Preeti Taneja told SheThePeople.TV, "It is a visual delight to watch it again. I remember the whole neighborhood would come together and watch the epic on television leading to discussions around truth, falsehood, relationships and societal roles. This is sheer nostalgia"

Also Read: Will Sita Temple Inspire People’s Perception Of the Goddess?

Other Classics back on television

Apart from Ramayan, Doordarshan is also airing its other classics such as Mahabharat, Byomkesh Bakshi, Dekh Bhai Dekh and Circus. The aim is to break the monotony for the Indian audiences in the lockdown period.

Image Credit: Twitter