Geet Ramayan is the collection of 56 songs describes chronologically, events from Ramayan, and showcases 32 characters of the great Indian epic. The team of Madgulkar and Phadke presented a new song every week for a year with every song being aired first on a Friday morning and then again on Saturday and Sunday morning, between 8:45 AM and 9:00 AM . The program's first song "Kuśa Lava Rāmāyaṇ Gātī" was aired on 1 April 1955.The Geet Ramayan is considered as "the crescendo of Madgulkar's literary vigour". Perhaps the most lasting contribution of GaDiMa is the penning a set of 56 songs called Geet Ramayan, chronologically describing events from Ramayana. It is the evergreen combination of the melodious music and voice of Sudhir Phadke and the meaningful yet simple lyrics which have made Geet Ramayan as one of the most popular albums in Maharasthra.
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Geet Ramayan has been translated into nine other languages like Bengali, Gujarati, Konkani, Sanskrit, Sindhi and Telegu and Hindi. Indian Express once called Geet Ramayan as the ‘crescendo of Madgulkar’s literary vigour.’Madgulkar expressed the varied moods of Rama; he was the most-voiced character in the Geet Ramayan with ten songs, followed by Sita with eight. He portrayed Rama as a complex character full of emotions and passions, with some of questionable deeds, yet bound by a traditional virtue and the sanctity of a promise. On April 1, 1955, at 8.45 am sharp, presenter Purushottam Joshi of All India Radio (AIR), Pune, announced the start of a new programme — Geet Ramayan. It was the morning after Ram Navami celebrations, with the festive mood still palpable. The weekly programme, a retelling of the Ramayana in verses, was written by GD Madgulkar and the music was composed by Sudhir Phadke. The radio series began with the song Kush Luv Ramayana Gaati, where the sons of Rama, trained by Valmiki, sing the songs of Ramayana in the latter’s court. “At that time, the Ramayana only belonged to scholars. But with Geet Ramayan, it reached the smallest shops and houses,” says Shridhar. The original writer-composer team had initially planned to release one song more songs were added. On April 1 every week and thus, had worked on 52 songs. But the Hindu calendar had one extra month in 1955. So, four, 1955, the first song of Geet-Ramayana was released on Pune radio and then during the next 56 weeks, a new song was added to it,"" affirmed Dhanashree Lele who hosted the show.Senior singer Ravindra Sathe sang 'Kush Lav Ramayan Gati', the first song of Geet-Ramayan in his baritone, expressive voice. It was followed by series of songs including Pahuni Velivarchi Phule, Ladke Kausalye Rani, Dashratha Ghe He Payasdan, Ram Janmala Ga Sakhe, Swayamvar Zale Siteche and others.Many dramatic incidents were portrayed through songs such as Mar Hi Tratika Ramachandra, Aaj Me Shapmukta Jhale and Setu Bandha Re Sagri. Phadke showed relevance in using appropriate musical forms like classical, folk, owi and others for the songs. Lele narrated interesting anecdotes during the making of Geet-Ramayana that kept the audience glued to their seats. ""It was a nostalgic experience to listen “"Ramayana is about values, in fact it’s all about life itself and it is the very reason the common man connects with the story and with the Geet Ramayana . So whether it’s Chinchwad, Nagpur, Indore, or Mumbai or Pune or Kolhapur or even foreign shores, the power of the Ramayana is such it draws people in. Of course, Babuji’s rendition and GaDiMa’s lyrics have added an extra layer of richness to the already rich text. It is because of this that I know in whatever form, the Geet Ramayana is here to stay and touch the lives of the people. The beauty of Ramayana is that it is timeless. It is for every generation and every age."
