 "Gitanjali Aiyar, Doordarshan's legendary voice in English news dies at 71")
"This is news from Doordarshan. Good evening and welcome. The headlines… " With this welcome, newsreader Gitanjali Aiyar opened the prime-time news at 9 pm, going into the living rooms of a country in awe of its newly acquired TVs at home. In the late 1970s, when India progressed from radio to grainy television screens changed by moving the terrace antenna, Aiyar and her bunch of partners like Salma Ruler, Neethi Ravindran and Shammi Narang, among a few others read the news on the state-claimed Doordarshan (DD). It was just news, which is how news should be.
On Friday, the cremation will take place. As per dear friend and journalist Sumita Paul, Aiyar has started to recover. Paul, who worked with Aiyar at All India Radio stated that she was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday but died there. Netta D'souza, acting president of the Congress Mahila tweeted the news of her passing away.
Gitanjali Aiyar: Overview
Gitanjali Aiyer received her bachelor's degree in English from Loreto College in Kolkata, where she continued her education. She likewise finished a diploma program at the Public School of Show (NSD). Aiyer joined Doordarshan in 1971 and devoted 31 years of her life to introducing news programs. When All India Radio separated from Doordarshan in 1978, she decided to stay with Doordarshan. Aiyer also appeared in Doordarshan's 1985 television series "Khandaan" and presented news programs.
As indicated by her work profile, Aiyer has worked with significant brands like The Oberoi Group, Yash Birla Group, and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Her final position was in the Major Donors department at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), where she served as deputy head of the Press and Public Affairs wing of the British High Commission in Delhi.
Four times, Gitanjali Aiyer was named Best Anchor. In addition, in 1989, she was given the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for Outstanding Women.