Ravindra Jain, the great music composer who made a name for himself as a music director in Bollywood despite his visual disability. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. Jain is best known for his invaluable contribution to Ramayan. He made a name for himself in India for composing music for Ramayan.
The great epic of Hindu civilisation Ramayan has always been a source of inspiration and knowledge for many people. Ramayan is a TV serial that was aired on Doordarshan back in 1987. It was aired for almost 1.5 years and then came to an end. This show is based on the life of Lord Rama. The story revolves around Lord Rama and showcases his entire life.
The role of Ram in ‘Ramayana’ serial was played by Arun Govil, Sita played by Deepika Chikhalia, Lakshman was played by Sunil Lahiri, and Hanuman by late Dara Singh.
Ravindra Jain was born on February 28, 1944, in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. He was visually impaired since birth but he didn’t go into a shell, usually cursing his fate or making lame excuses for his failure in life.
For the first time, Ravindra’s parents were frightened to let him step out of the house because of his disability. They were always worried about his safety. For Ravindra, life didn’t end here. It was just a beginning! He proved the world that there is life and success beyond his disability.
A keen learner since childhood he learned multiple languages which included Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Arabic and Punjabi. His formal training in classical music was done under the able guidance of G.L Jain, Janardhan Sharma and Nathuram.
Ravindra Jain recorded his first song for All India Radio in Kolkata. His Bollywood career started in early 1970s. One of the most notable Hindi music Directors and Composers he produced music for many hit films such as Saudagar, Chor machay Shor, Geet Gata chal, Chitchor, Dulhan wahi jo piya man bhaaye, Paheli, Ankhiyon ke Jharoke se, Nadiya ke paar, Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Do Jasoos, Pati Patni Aur Woh, Insaf Ka Tarazu etc. He also wrote lyrics of a few songs.
Ravindra Jain was closely associated with Raj Kapoor for whom he composed many songs in films like ‘Do Jasoos’ (1975), ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’ (1985) and ‘Henna’ (1991).
Jain also composed music for many TV serials. Some of his most popular works on TV are Shri Krishna, Alif Laila, Jai Ganga Maiya, Jai Mahalaxmi, Shree Brahma Vishnu Mahesh, Sai Baba, Jai Maa Durga, Ramayan, Jai Hanuman and Maha Kavya Mahabharat etc.
South Indian singer Yesudas’ popular Hindi song ‘Gori Tera Gaon Bada Pyara’ from ‘Chitchor’ (1976) was composed by Ravindra Jain. Jain was so mesmerised by Yesudas’ voice that he had said if ever he happened to regain his vision, the first person he would like to see would be Yesudas.
Ravindra Jain has made a great contribution in making Ramanand Sagar’s ‘Ramayana‘ immortal, which can never be forgotten. He had left a great impression on People’s minds by composing music for Ramayan.
Ravindra Jain was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award of India, in 2015. Apart from Padma Shri, he won several other awards for his contribution to Indian music.
Ravinder Jain passed away on 9th October 2015 in Mumbai due to multiple Organ Failure, survived by his wife Divya and son Aayushman. Ravinder Jain was and will always be a role model for many as he overcame his disability of blindness and saw the world through his music.
