Ramnami
Rama Mantra
Ram Nam. Those are powerful words in the land of Bharat. The name of Ram. In the realm of sound, and in the realm of mantras, the phrase ‘Ram’ is held to be among the most sacred, the most powerful, the most benevolent. In Ramcharitmanas, Tulsidas says, “Kalyug keval naam adhaara, sumir sumir nar utarhi paara!” (Ram nam is the only refuge during Kalyug, the most challenging age of the world, and his remembrance, the only way to liberation.)
Some take the name to represent the man whose life-story is told in the Ramayana – the ‘Sagun Ram’, the deity. Others prefer to dwell on ‘Nirgun Ram’ – the formless primordial principle from which all creation emanates.
Making a Point
The Ramnamis are Dalits. And the story of their origins is dramatic. Sometime around 1890, it is reported, Parsuram Bharadwaj, a Dalit, was seized with the desire to see Ram and tried to enter the village temple. Members of the upper castes prayed there. So, his entry was barred, and he was turned away. We can only imagine what must have taken place… the pain, the cruel deprivation, the humiliation and the rejection.
His response was epic: he tattooed every inch of his body with the name of Ram. Stung at being spurned, his people vowed that no one would now succeed in keeping the Lord away from them.
They say the body is a temple. The defiant Ramnamis make it so. Their omnipresent Ram emblazoned over and over on their skin, theirs is one of the most breathtaking displays of faith one could ever see. Today, the Ramnami tribe is present across four districts in central and northern Chhattisgarh. For them, there is just the name and the sacred Ramcharitmanas.
By Ram’s Grace
Some things are just meant to be. In this film, singer-lyricist-composer Kailash Kher voices the sect’s deeply held values with the beautiful background score ‘Ram hi paar lagavenge’ (Ram will see me through). That came about with a happy coincidence if there is such a thing.
Filmmaker Bharatbala was on his way to Chhattisgarh to film the Ramnami community: “I met Kailash Kher at the airport, and I told him what we would be filming. Suddenly, I told him ‘Your voice should be a part of this landscape.’”
Bahar Ram, bhitar Ram, mora rom-rom Ram hi Ram… a name that pervades outside, inside and in every cell of the being. Kailash Kher expresses the yearning of a people who have hitched their whole existence on just one syllable.