Ranchi, April 2: If you find city youths thronging bookstores, card and cassette shops for the Hanuman Chalisa, do not be surprised.

Belief in Hanuman seems to have increased manifold among the youth for even city rock group, Om Band, presented the Hindi poem in a western style recently.

City purohits say that superstition, mounting academic pressure, job insecurities and the increase in the number of competitive examinees could be the reasons behind the youths’ inclination towards the Chalisa.

“It is a common belief that reading the Chalisa helps ward off evil thoughts and negative feelings or overcome obstacles,” said N.K. Bera, an astrologer and former head of Bengali department, RU.

Bera said that there are a lot of students who visit him for counselling. “Many reveal their inability to concentrate on studies. I advise them to read the Chalisa before starting their daily study routine,” he said, adding that MBA, medical and engineering aspirants are also advised to read the holy text a night before their exam, to boost their confidence level.

Swapan Ghosh, the owner of Ghosh Music Shoppe, said that around 50 copies of the poem are sold every month, through CDs and MP3. “We are getting a tremendous response from the youth. This trend was not visible earlier.”

Pradeep Kumar Burman, the owner of bookstore Gyan Deep, said that for the past four months mainly college students have bought the Chalisa, costing Rs 10. The animated forms of the text in audio and video versions, costing Rs 99-150, respectively, are also in demand at Archies Gallery.

MCA student of BIT, Lalpur Extension, Varun Kumar said: “Though Hanuman cannot be considered a youth icon, I do feel confident after reading about him. It prepares me for the day ahead.”