Veteran Doordarshan news presenter Gitanjali Aiyer passed away in New Delhi on Wednesday, June 8th. She was 71. Geetanjali Aiyer was a DD news anchor for over 30 years. The news of her demise was tweeted by acting Congress Mahila President Netta D’souza. Despite the many, many news channels that have sprouted on cable tv since the boom of cable, with much more of a budget that Doordarshan could ever muster, We fondly remember the days when Gitanjali Aiyar graced our TV screens, leaving an indelible mark on our news-watching experiences.

Aiyar, began her career in the TV news industry, when she joined Doordarshan in 1976 after completing her graduation from Kolkata’s Loreto College in ’71.  2. Besides news, Aiyar was also involved in theatre and also obtained a diploma from the National School of Drama. Aiyer joined Doordarshan in 1971 and dedicated 31 years of her life to presenting news programs. She chose to stay with Doordarshan when All India Radio separated from it in 1978. Apart from presenting news programmes, Aiyer was also a part of the 1985 TV serial on Doordarshan called ‘Khandaan’.

Aiyer has worked with major brands like The Oberoi Group, Yash Birla Group, and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). She was deputy head of the Press and Public Affairs wing of the British High Commission in Delhi and her last job was Major Donors department at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Gitanjali Aiyer won the Best Anchor award on four occasions. She was also the recipient of the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for Outstanding Women in 1989. Her death was mourned by prominent senior journalists, politicians and many media personnel on social media.