Gitanjali Aiyar, one of Doordarshan’s most popular newsreaders, passes away

Much before the advent of all the satellite channels, there used to be the one and only Doordarshan, which was the main source of entertainment and also the news. Speaking of news, today, was indeed a sad day in the world of news as Gitanjali Aiyar, who was one of the earliest English news presenters on Doordarshan passed away.

As per reports, Gitanjali Aiyar had been a news presenter for more than 30 years. After having joined Doordarshan in the year 1971, Gitanjali Aiyar became a household name and face, courtesy her inimitable style of presenting any news and also her impeccable command over English language. In her career spanning many years, Gitanjali Aiyar was awarded the best anchor person four times.

Besides that, Gitanjali Aiyar had also been the proud recipient of the prestigious ‘Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award’ for ‘Outstanding Women’ in the year 1989. Amongst all this, she also was Head of Major Donors at WWF (World Wide Fund), India. She, also has, to her credit, of having presented popular shows which were related to taking English song requests. The show was called ‘A Date With You’, which used to be aired on Friday nights on the extremely popular and widely listened ‘All India Radio’.

As for her academics, post her completing her undergraduate degree in English, Gitanjali Aiyar went onto graduate from Kolkata's Loreto College. She also held diploma from the National School of Drama. Post her stint as a successful news presenter in Doordarshan, Gitanjali Aiyar went onto work in corporate sector in Corporate Communications (Government Liaison and Marketing). She was also a consultant at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Not many know that, Gitanjali Aiyar had even acted in a TV serial called ‘Khandaan’.

In the remembrance of Gitanjali Aiyar, Netta D'Souza (Congress leader), took to social media and tweeted, “We fondly remember the days when Gitanjali Aiyar ji graced our TV screens, leaving an indelible mark on our news-watching experiences. Saddened by her untimely demise, my heartfelt condolences to her loved ones. May she find eternal peace”.