New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday released a digital version of epic Ramcharitmanas, a set of digital audio compact discs produced by All India Radio.

"The strength of Akashvani is immense and I fully understand it. I remember learning about the Pokhran (nuclear) tests of 1998 through a tea seller in Himachal Pradesh, who heard it on the radio. He told me very happily that Atal (Bihari Vajpayee) ji has tested the bomb," Mr Modi said.

"This digital version will help people across the world," he added.

Praising the efforts of the artistes who contributed to the musical production, the prime minister said they had performed not just 'sangeet sadhana' but also 'sanskriti sadhana' and 'sanskaar sadhana' (devotion not just to music, but also to culture and tradition).

He described the Ramcharitmanas as a great epic which contained the "essence of India".

Prime Minister Modi mentioned how Indians, who had travelled to various parts of the world, kept alive their links with India over successive generations, through Ramcharitmanas.

He said he was told that All India Radio had some nine lakh hours of audio recordings of various artistes from across the country.

"This is a priceless collection, which should be documented in detail for posterity," Mr Modi added.

The recordings of works of Goswami Tulsidas, sung by leading singers of Bhopal gharana, have been done by the AIR over several years and are regularly broadcast, especially in the Hindi heartland.

The Ramcharitmanas was composed and recorded for the first time in 1980 at Akashvani, Bhopal.