Ananyareddy at 18:18, 13 March 2026

2026-03-13T18:18:37Z

New page

{{Short description|Indian television journalist (1952 – 2023)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Gitanjali Aiyar
| birth_date = {{birth date|1947|01|29|df=yes}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|06|07|1947|01|29|df=yes}}
| education = [[Loreto College, Kolkata|Loreto College]] [[Bachelor of Arts|(B.A.)]]
| occupation = [[News Anchor]]
| years_active = (1971–2023)
| television = Khandaan (1985)
| spouse = [[Swaminathan Aiyar]]
| children = 2
| awards = Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award (1989)
}}
'''Gitanjali Aiyar''' (née Ambegaonkar,<ref name="marriages">{{cite web |url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/name-family-forever-ever-nirmala-khadpekar |title=The Name as Family - Forever and Ever |access-date=2023-06-30 |last=Khadpekar|first=Nirmala|date=29 July 2020|work=LinkedIn Pulse}}</ref> 29 January 1947{{spaced ndash}}7 June 2023) was India's female news presenter on [[Doordarshan]]. She collapsed and died after a morning walk in New Delhi due to [[brain haemorrhage]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2023-06-07 |title=Gitanjali Aiyar, popular Doordarshan news anchor, passes away |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/tv-presenter-gitanjali-aiyar-passes-away-101686148470523.html |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2023-06-07 |title=Gitanjali Aiyar, Doordarshan’s legendary voice in English news, dies |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/india/doordarshan-news-anchor-gitanjali-aiyar-passes-away-condolences-pour-in-8651263/ |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> She was suffering from [[Parkinson's disease]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-06-08 |title=Award winning Doordarshan anchor Gitanjali Aiyar no more |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/award-winning-doordarshan-anchor-gitanjali-aiyar-no-more/articleshow/100835212.cms |access-date=2023-12-31 |issn=0013-0389}}</ref> and was 76.

== Early life and education ==
Aiyar attended [[Loreto College, Kolkata|Loreto College]] in Kolkata.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Gitanjali Aiyar, Award-Winning Doordarshan Anchor, Dies |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/gitanjali-aiyar-award-winning-doordarshan-anchor-dies-4103306 |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=NDTV.com}}</ref> She also studied for a diploma at the [[National School of Drama]]. She featured in many advertisements and also acted in [[Khandaan (TV series)|Khandaan]], a popular tele-serial on DD in the mid-1980s. She had a daughter, journalist [[Pallavi Aiyar]]<ref name=":3" /> and a son, Shekhar Aiyar<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Gitanjali Aiyar passes away: 10 things to know about the legendary news anchor |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/gitanjali-aiyar-passes-away-10-things-to-know-about-the-legendary-news-anchor-1225835.html |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}</ref> from her ex-husband [[Swaminathan Aiyar]].<ref name="Gitanjali">{{cite web|url=https://en.janbharattimes.com/india-news/gitanjali-aiyar-cause-of-death|title=Gitanjali Aiyar's Cause of Death: Award-Winning Doordarshan Anchor dies at 71|access-date=2023-06-30|date=8 June 2023|work=Janbharat Times|archive-date=29 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629210524/https://en.janbharattimes.com/india-news/gitanjali-aiyar-cause-of-death|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Career ==
Aiyar joined All India Radio after her graduation and then Doordarshan in 1976<ref name=":2" /> and soon became a popular voice in the country. For more than a decade she was regular at the 9pm prime time DD news bulletin. She worked at DD for over 30 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prominent TV presenter Gitanjali Aiyar passes away |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/tv-presenter-gitanjali-aiyar-passes-away-2390080-2023-06-07 |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref> She was a contemporary of Neethi Ravindran, Shammi Narang<ref name=":1" /> and Rini Simon. She hosted 'A Date With You', a popular show taking request for English songs on All India Radio on Friday nights.<ref name=":0" /> After leaving DD, she worked in the corporate communication department of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) before joining the non-profit World Wildlife Fund for Nature.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kumar |first=Anuj |date=2023-06-07 |title=Gitanjali Aiyar, popular Doordarshan news anchor, passes away |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gitanjali-aiyar-popular-tv-news-anchor-passes-away/article66943748.ece |access-date=2023-12-31 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

== Awards ==
Aiyar won the Best Anchor award four times. She also won the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for Outstanding Woman in 1989.<ref name=":0" />

== References ==

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aiyar, Gitanjali}}
[[Category:Indian women television journalists]]
[[Category:Indian television news anchors]]
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Doordarshan journalists]]
[[Category:Indian women television presenters]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian journalists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women journalists]]

Gitanjali Aiyar - Revision history

Ananyareddy at 18:18, 13 March 2026