People Waited Patiently for Lord Ram: Ramayana TV Series Maker Ramanand Sagar’s Son

New Delhi: With just hours to go for the holy Pran Pratishtha ceremony to take place in the temple town of Ayodhya, the 500-year wait of generations of devotees of Lord Ram is finally coming to an end. In the wake of the holy event, Moti Sagar, son of filmmaker Ramanand Sagar, the maker of the famous TV serial Ramayan, has expressed his jubilation over the matter.

While he pointed out that the wait has been long for the temple to come up at the holy Ram Janmabhoomi site, he emphasised that people are happy to celebrate the occasion.

Commenting on the Ram Mandir 'Pran Pratistha' ceremony, Moti Sagar, said, "This work (of building Ram temple) should have been done earlier. Nobody took a step to do this work... But people waited patiently for Lord Ram and they believed that he would come... People are eagerly waiting for the day to celebrate this moment.”

Great Fortune that I Have Received This Invitation: Moti Sagar 

Earlier, Moti Sagar received an invitation to the Ram Mandir 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony.

Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the temple’s construction and commending the meticulous arrangements made for the ceremony, Moti Sagar said that attending the event and seeking blessings would be a cherished memory for a lifetime.

"It is a great fortune that I have received this invitation. Being able to attend the ceremony and to get blessings would be a memory for a lifetime...they have arranged the entire programme already...so that nobody will face any issue...this temple has been built because of the efforts of PM Modi," Moti Sagar had told a news agency.

Talking about how his father would have reacted if he were alive today, Moti Sagar said, "I am so delighted today. Today, such a significant event is taking place as a result of PM Modi's efforts; it is a life-changing achievement. Ramayana had cooked the prasad. My father would be very pleased. He would've gone first and he would have gone several times if he were still alive today. He would have even purchased a house to worship Ram.”

Moti Sagar also said that Lord Ram has taught the dharma of every relationship - a son's dharma with a parent, the dharma of a brother with a brother, the dharma of a father with children, and the dharma of those who perpetrate crimes with the adversary.

"After watching the complete Ramayana, one would have realised that Ram belongs to everyone," he said.

"There have been many stories like this; we received messages from people of different religions as there was a fight between two brothers, and after watching the Ramayana, they made peace with each other,” he added.

Ramanand Sagar's first episode of Ramayan, which became a unifying force for India, aired on January 25, 1987. Initially planned to consist of 52 45-minute episodes, the show had to be extended three times, eventually terminating after 78 episodes, due to great demand. In 2000, the Indian government awarded Ramanand Sagar the Padma Shri.