On Wednesday, prominent news anchor Gitanjali Aiyar passed away. She was one of the country’s earliest English news presenters and has worked as a national broadcaster for more than three decades. She began working for Doordarshan in 1971 and won the prize for best anchor four times.
Aiyar, a Loreto College alumnus from Kolkata, also holds a National School of Drama diploma. In 1989, she further received the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for Outstanding Women.
On Friday nights on All India Radio, she also hosted a popular programme called “A Date With You” that featured requests for English songs.
After a long career in the journalistic business, she delved into corporate communications, government relations, and marketing. She oversaw significant donors for the World Wide Fund in India.
People are sending condolences to Aiyar on Twitter and recalling her days of news presenting in the process.
“We have pleasant memories of the times when Gitanjali Aiyar ji graced our TV screens and made a lasting impression on our news viewing experiences. I’m saddened by her premature death and send my sincere condolences to her family. Netta D’Souza, the leader of the Congress, wished the woman “eternal peace.”
Gitanjali Aiyar, one of India’s top television newsreaders, a kind and refined individual, and a woman of enormous substance passed away today, according to prominent journalist Sheela Bhatt. My sincere condolences go out to her family.
