Jai Siya Ram or Jai Siyaram (Devanagari: जय सिया राम; IAST: Jaya Siyā Rāma) is a Hindi expression, translating as "Victory to Sita and Rama". [1] Siya is a regional variant of Sita. [2] Sociologist Jan Breman states that it was used as "a greeting of welcome in the countryside since time immemorial". [3]
Jai Siya Ram is used in the worship of Rama and Sita and is commonly recited during devotional practices such as the reading of the Ramayana and the Ramcharitmanas, particularly the Sundara Kanda. [4]
The chant is widely used in congregational religious activities, including bhajans, kirtans, and other devotional gatherings. [5]
It is also commonly heard in religious gatherings and pilgrimage events such as the Kumbh Mela, where it is chanted by devotees as an expression of faith and devotion. [6]
On 5 August 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his Ram Mandir ground breaking ceremony speech with Jai Siyaram. [7] [8] [9] He also urged the attendees to chant Jai Siyaram. [10] Modi also said, "The call of Jai Siya Ram is resonating not only in the city of Lord Ram but throughout the world today. I express gratitude to all citizens of this nation, Indian diaspora across the world and all the devotees of Lord Ram on this pious occasion." [11] have documented incidents in which individuals, particularly Muslims, were allegedly forced by mobs to chant slogans such as "Jai Shri Ram" during episodes of communal violence or mob attacks. [12] [13]
For example, in the Tabrez Ansari lynching case in 2019, the victim was reportedly forced by a mob to chant religious slogans, including "Jai Shri Ram", before his death. [14] Similar allegations have been reported in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots, where victims and witnesses stated that mobs forced individuals to chant slogans during attacks. [15] Priyanka Gandhi also used the expression in a tweet related to Ram Mandir on 4 August 2020. [16]
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak used the phrase at an event in 2023, while talking of his Hindu faith. [17] [18]
On 15 April 2023, gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead at point-blank range in Prayagraj while being escorted by police for a medical check-up. [19] The attack, carried out by three assailants posing as journalists, was captured on live television. [20] and video footage of the incident, the assailants were heard shouting slogans such as "Jai Shri Ram" after the shooting and at the time of surrender. [21] [22]
Slogans of Jai Siya Ram had also been chanted in the Supreme Court in 1992 by Vishva Hindu Parishad. [23]
Each stanza of the Punjabi folk song, "Expectation of Today's Wife", starts with the line Jai Siya Ram, Jai Jai Siya Ram. [24] During riots in Jaipur in the 1990s, the phrase was used to indicate that one is a Hindu. [25]