Thiruvananthapuram: Despite being widely used in funeral possessions and movies in Kerala, the song "Samayamam Radhathil Njan..." has a rich history many have overlooked. The hymn was originally composed by a German missionary, Volbrecht Nagel, in 1897, decades before it was adapted into Malayalam movies.  

Samayamam Rathathil Njan Swargayatra Cheyyunu (I am travelling towards heaven on the chariot of time) was originally intended to be a "song of hope" but ended up becoming an instant hit in popular culture as a "funeral song."

Later, legendary music director G Devarajan used the song in the 1970 movie Aranazhika Neram and become an instant sensation during actor Sathyan's funeral in 1971. In fact, Devarajan changed a few lines in the song, turning it from god's praise into a funeral song. 

Nagel was a German missionary and visited the Malabar region of Kerala in 1893. He became the head of the Basel Mission centre in Vaniankulam. He later wandered around the state and learned Malayalam, and eventually settled in Kunnamkulam, Thrissur. In 1897, he married Harriet Mitchell, an Anglo-Indian, and had seven children. In 1906, he started an orphanage and a home for widows in Thrissur. In 1914, he returned to Germany but couldn't return to Kerala due to the onset of World War 1. He never fulfilled his dream of returning to the state and died there.

However, he wrote many songs and hymns in Malayalam, still used in churches across the state.