Ramanand Sagar (English: Ramanand Sagar, born: 29 December, 1917; died: 12 December, 2005) was an Indian film director. Ramanand Sagar is famous for creating the most popular serial ‘Ramayana’. His career started with the film “Riders of the Railroad” (1936).
life introduction
Ramanand Sagar, rich in versatile talent, was born in a rich family on 29 December 1927 at a place called “Asalguru” village in Lahore district of undivided India. He did not get the love of his parents, as he was adopted by his maternal grandmother. Earlier his name was Chandramouli Chopra but his grandmother changed his name to Ramanand.
After the partition of the country in 1947, Ramanand Sagar left everything and came to India with his family. The cruelest, horrifying events of Partition which he witnessed were later recorded in the form of memoirs titled “Aur Insan Mar Gaya”. It is also no less important that when he separated from his motherland and came to India as a refugee in his youth, he had only 5 annas in his pocket, but along with it he had immense love and devotion towards his religion and culture. Perhaps it was the result of this that later on he produced religious serials like Ramayana, Shri Krishna, Jai Ganga Maiya and Jai Mahalakshmi. These serials broadcast by Doordarshan created a wonderful atmosphere of devotion in every corner of the country.
At the age of 16, his prose poetry was selected to be published in the magazine of Pratap College, Srinagar. Young Ramanand protested against taking dowry due to which he was thrown out of the house. With this the struggle for his life began. He worked as a truck cleaner and peon to continue his studies. They worked during the day and studied at night. Being a brilliant student, he received a gold medal from Punjab University, Pakistan and was awarded the title of Munshi Fazal for his proficiency in Persian language. After this Sagar became a journalist and soon he reached the post of news editor in a newspaper. Along with this, his writing career also continued.
Sagar Art Corporation
Ramanand Sagar was inclined towards films since the 1940s. But he formally entered the film world when he wrote the screenplay and story for Raj Kapoor’s superhit film ‘Barsaat’. After India gained independence from the British, in the year 1950, Ramanand Sagar started a production company “Sagar Art Corporation” and started this company with a film named ‘Mehmaan’. Later he made hit films like Insaniyat, Kohinoor, Paigam, Aankhen, Lalkar, Charas, Arzoo, Geet and Bagavat. In the year 1985, he entered the world of small screen. Then in the 80s, Ramanand Sagar’s name became a household name with the Ramayana TV serial.
Ramanand Sagar created history when he created the television serial “Ramayana” which became the longest running and extremely famous in India. Which was based on the life of Lord Rama and his victory over Ravana and his Lanka. Ramanand Sagar directed and produced some films and many television programs and serials. Among the famous TV serials made by him, Ramayana, Krishna, Vikram Betal, Grandfather’s Stories, Alif Laila and Jai Ganga Maiya etc. are very famous. Apart from serials, he also produced many successful films like Aankhen, Lalkaar, Geet Arzoo etc. He also wrote dialogues for more than 50 films. In the early days of his career, he also did journalism. Journalist, litterateur, film producer, director, dialogue writer etc. all had a unique combination in his personality. What’s more, his devotional, easy-going and melodious interpretation of the events and characters of Ramcharit Manas in each episode of the Ramayana serial also established him as a popular preacher.
He wrote 22 short stories, three long short stories, two serial stories and two plays. He wrote them under the names of his Takhallus Chopra, Bedi and Kashmiri but later he became Ramanand Sagar forever with Sagar Takhallus. Later he also wrote scripts for many films and television serials.
Honors and Awards
There is hardly any film producer-director in the country who not only got huge success in his film career but also got the immense love and blessings of crores of viewers and the saints and mahatmas who give direction to the society. Dr. Ramanand Sagar was one such great personality. Ramanand Sagar, who served the Indian cinema world all his life, was probably the first such TV personality of the Indian film industry. He was a serial producer and director, on hearing the news of his demise, there was a wave of mourning among art lovers, crores of viewers and thousands of saints and mahatmas of the country. He died late on the night of 12 December 2005 in a hospital in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 87-year-old Ramanand Sagar breathed his last after being ill for three months. His elder son Subhash Sagar cremated his mortal remains at the crematorium in Vile Parle, Juhu. Hundreds of his fans, artists, producers and directors were present on this occasion.
His popularity can be gauged from the fact that in the Parliament of Religions held in Haridwar, the mourning saints and top religious leaders of the country kept silence in his memory. Vishwa Hindu Parishad, while paying tribute to the contribution of Ramanand Sagar in the Ramjanmabhoomi movement, said that his name will always remain immortal in history. The serial “Ramayana” produced and directed by him created a wonderful cultural awakening in the country.
