Doordarshan’s Famous News Presenter Gitanjali Aiyar Passes Away; Tributes Pour in
Graduated from Kolkata's Loreto College, Gitanjali Aiyar joined Doordarshan in 1971 and was awarded the best anchor four times. She also won the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for Outstanding Women in 1989.
Prominent English news personality Gitanjali Aiyar passed away on Wednesday. She was one of the first English news presenters on the national broadcaster Doordarshan.
She was in her mid seventies.
The news reader had just returned from a walk when she collapsed.
Sources close to the family said that she was suffering from Parkinson’s disease and was on medications.
Known for her grace and poise, she was awarded the best anchor award four times. Gitanjali Aiyar joined Doordarshan in 1971 and worked in the industry for decades. She graduated from Loreto college in Kolkata.
She presented a popular show ‘A Date With You’ where she took English song requests on Friday nights on All India Radio.
A veteran journalist, she was also a diploma holder from the National School of Drama (NSD). Her face was seen in numerous print advertisements and she even acted in Sridhar Kshirsagar's TV drama "Khandaan".
She was associated with World Wide Fund, India.
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People remembered the famous news personality on Doordarshan for her grace and flawless English diction. She became a famous figure on streets and the country as a whole when Doordarshan gained popularity.
Tributes below:
Sad to hear of the passing away of Gitanjali Aiyar. From An age where there were news readers who just read the news without any noise or fuss. No debate, no opinion. Remember Tejeshwar Singh, Salma Sultan, Rini Simon, Luke Sanyal and many more. Gitanjali always so poised and graceful . RIP~ Rajdeep Sardesai
RIP, gracious lady... Gitanjali Aiyar, One of India’s best TV newsreaders, warm and elegant person and woman of immense substance passed away today. Deepest condolences. She and many other new readers were a big part of our growing-up with Doordarshan.. ~ Shobha De
Very sad. A household name in 1980s and later. RIP Gitanjali Aiyar. ~ Sagarika Ghose
Gitanjali Aiyar is survived by her son Shekhar and daughter Pallavi who are based in America.