Gitanjali Aiyar (née Ambegaonkar,[1] 29 January 1947Template:Spaced ndash7 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.[2][3] She was suffering from Parkinson's disease[4] and was 76.
Early life and education
Aiyar attended Loreto College in Kolkata.[5] She also studied for a diploma at the National School of Drama. She featured in many advertisements and also acted in Khandaan, a popular tele-serial on DD in the mid-1980s. She had a daughter, journalist Pallavi Aiyar[5] and a son, Shekhar Aiyar[6] from her ex-husband Swaminathan Aiyar.[7]
Career
Aiyar joined All India Radio after her graduation and then Doordarshan in 1976[6] 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.[8] She was a contemporary of Neethi Ravindran, Shammi Narang[3] and Rini Simon. She hosted 'A Date With You', a popular show taking request for English songs on All India Radio on Friday nights.[2] 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.[9]
Awards
Aiyar won the Best Anchor award four times. She also won the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for Outstanding Woman in 1989.[2]
References
- ↑ The Name as Family - Forever and Ever, Khadpekar, Nirmala(29 July 2020). Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Gitanjali Aiyar, popular Doordarshan news anchor, passes away. Hindustan Times(2023-06-07). Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gitanjali Aiyar, Doordarshan’s legendary voice in English news, dies. The Indian Express(2023-06-07). Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ↑ Award winning Doordarshan anchor Gitanjali Aiyar no more. The Economic Times(2023-06-08). Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gitanjali Aiyar, Award-Winning Doordarshan Anchor, Dies. NDTV.com. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gitanjali Aiyar passes away: 10 things to know about the legendary news anchor. Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ↑ Gitanjali Aiyar's Cause of Death: Award-Winning Doordarshan Anchor dies at 71(8 June 2023). Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ↑ Prominent TV presenter Gitanjali Aiyar passes away. India Today. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
- ↑ Gitanjali Aiyar, popular Doordarshan news anchor, passes away. The Hindu(2023-06-07). Retrieved 2023-12-31.