Award-Winning DD Anchor Gitanjali Aiyar Passes Away

Gitanjali Aiyar, one of India's first English female news presenters on national broadcaster Doordarshan, passed away on Wednesday. She was in her mid-70s.

Aiyar was suffering from Parkinson's disease. She collapsed after returning home from a walk, PTI reported citing sources. "She had Parkinson's disease and was on medication. She collapsed after returning home from a walk," said a close friend of Aiyar.

Aiyar is survived by a son and daughter Pallavi Aiyar, who is also an award-winning journalist.

After completing graduation from Kolkata's Loreto College, she had joined Doordarshan in 1971 and was awarded the best anchor four times. She also won the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for Outstanding Women in 1989. She was also a diploma holder from the National School of Drama (NSD)

Apart from presenting news programmes, she had also been a popular face in several print advertisements and even acted in Sridhar Kshirsagar's TV drama 'Khandaan'.

In her decades-long illustrious career, she was also associated with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Her fans and many notable personalities mourned the death of the award-winning TV anchor.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting has expressed profound grief over her death and hailed the service of Iyer who worked for Doordarshan for more than 30 years. "Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Gitanjali Aiyar, one of the first and finest English news anchors on Doordarshan and All India Radio. My heartfelt condolences go out to her family and loved ones during this difficult time," Thakur tweeted.

"We fondly remember the days when Gitanjali Aiyar ji graced our TV screens, leaving an indelible mark on our news-watching experiences. Saddened by her untimely demise, my heartfelt condolences to her loved ones. May she find eternal peace," tweeted Congress leader Netta D'Souza.