Gitanjali Aiyar
{{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}}
| nationality = Indian
| education = Loreto College (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,{{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}} 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.{{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}}{{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}} She was suffering from Parkinson's disease{{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}} and was 76.
Early life and education
Aiyar attended Loreto College in Kolkata.{{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}} 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 and a son, Shekhar Aiyar{{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}} from her ex-husband Swaminathan Aiyar.{{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}}
Career
Aiyar joined All India Radio after her graduation and then Doordarshan in 1976 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.{{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}} She was a contemporary of Neethi Ravindran, Shammi Narang and Rini Simon. She hosted 'A Date With You', a popular show taking request for English songs on All India Radio on Friday nights. 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.{{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}}
Awards
References
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Category:Indian women television journalists
Category:Indian television news anchors
Category:Doordarshan journalists
Category:Indian women television presenters
Category:20th-century Indian journalists
Category:20th-century Indian women journalists