#National News: New Delhi, June 8, 2023 Gitanjali Aiyar was the first news reader in English. She pursued her higher education at Loreto College in Kolkata, where she got her bachelor’s degree in English. She also completed a diploma programme at the National School of Drama (NSD). Aiyar joined Doordarshan in 1971 and dedicated 31 years of her life to presenting news programmes. She chose to stay with Doordarshan when All India Radio separated from it in 1978. Apart from presenting news programmes, Aiyar was also a part of the 1985 TV serial on Doordarshan called ‘Khandaan’.
Gitanjali Aiyar won the Best Anchor award on four occasions. She was also the recipient of the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for Outstanding Women in 1989. Gitanjali Aiyar, the iconic face of Doordarshan News, passed away at the age of 71, according to prominent senior journalists, politicians, and many media personnel on social media.
