“This is Doordarshan news. Good evening and welcome. The headlines…”
Gitanjali Aiyar, the prime-time newsreader, entered the living rooms of a country that was in awe of its brand-new television sets at home with this greeting at 9 o'clock in the evening. When India switched from radio to grainy TV screens that could be adjusted by moving the terrace antenna in the late 1970s, Aiyar and a select group of her coworkers—including Salma Sultan, Neethi Ravindran, and Shammi Narang—read the news on the publicly-funded Doordarshan (DD).
It was news as it’s meant to be — just news.
Aiyar, a native of Delhi who was among the first English newsreaders on Indian television and had a 30-year career with DD, passed away on Wednesday after suffering a brain haemorrhage. She will be remembered for her composure, erudite delivery, and enunciation. She was 72 years old and had been ill for some time. Son Shekhar and daughter Pallavi, who both reside in the US, are Aiyar's surviving family members.
The cremation will take place on Friday.
We fondly remember the days when Gitanjali Aiyar ji graced our TV screens, leaving an indelible mark on our news-watching experiences.
— Netta D'Souza (@dnetta) June 7, 2023
Saddened by her untimely demise, my heartfelt condolences to her loved ones. May she find eternal peace. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ayVeUu2yB6
Aiyar had started to heal, according to close friend and writer Sumita Paul. She was taken to the hospital by a friend on Wednesday, but she passed away en route, according to Paul, Aiyar's coworker at the All India Radio.
Aiyar grew up listening to the radio news read by legends like Surojit Sen and Pamela Singh, and he was always charmed with their language and enunciation. Due to her interest in the subject, Aiyar actively participated in debates and elocution contests in high school and college. Immediately following her graduation in 1971, Aiyar went on an interview at AIR and was accepted into the English news section.
In 1976, she went to DD. When India got colour TV and DD went national in 1982, newsreaders gained popularity among the public. "All of a sudden, people recognised you in India... In Bhogal, south of Delhi, my neighbourhood butcher would always say, "Aiye, aaj ki kya taaza khabar hai madam." Teachers would instruct the students to mimic our speech patterns, Aiyar said in Outlook in 2022.
Rini Simon Khanna, a former coworker and newsreader for DD, said: "I met her last month for dinner and realised that she'd grown pretty fragile. She said that her keeping had been lacking. The first thing I [had] noticed about her back then was how prim and proper she was still. Never a hair out of place and never giggling, she was always measured and exact.
Khanna claimed that "people still remember her for that correct speech and enunciation" today.
Newsreader Sheila Chaman, one of her earliest coworkers and acquaintances in AIR and DD, recalls Aiyar as "extremely articulate, outgoing, and friendly." We got along great, she remarked. "This was the time when there was no animosity, rivalry, or conflict among those doing the same job," the author writes.
The two appeared "like pasted clowns, with just the make-up base on," Chaman recalled while gazing at a photo of them taken in the make-up room of the "White House," the structure that contained DD studios and make-up rooms. stated Chaman. I considered sending the photo to her but decided against it.
When there was only the state-owned DD, the photo was taken in the 1980s. Back then, everything swirled around the colour of Salma Sultan's rose, Shammi Narang's pen, which he swiftly tucked away after the broadcast, and of course, Aiyar's sharp haircut, about which people wrote letters in an effort to learn who chopped her hair.
Sadhna Srivastav, a former news anchor and Aiyar's buddy, remarked, "That haircut became a trademark." "She was a magnificent human being, and that poise of hers, it was so wonderful and was always there. I started much after her, but what pulled us close was that. On Holi in March, I ran into her since I knew she was alone. It's a huge loss.
Aiyar not only appeared in various print advertising of the era, but he also performed in "Khandaan," a popular DD programme. She had a successful career as a news reader before working with CII and WWF in addition to the Taj and Oberoi hotel chains.
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