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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Gitanjali Aiyar, Neethi Ravindran and Rini Simon reached Doordarshan through different routes, but each brought experience with radio or spoken-word work. In a 2017 interview with Scroll.in, they recalled a live newsroom without teleprompters, the constraints around what presenters could announce, and a television news culture they viewed with both appreciation and concern.
How the three presenters began
Their paths into Doordarshan were not alike. Radio experience shaped all three accounts, but the opportunities that brought them to television came in different ways.
Gitanjali Aiyar: from childhood ambition to Doordarshan
Aiyar said she had wanted to read the news on radio since she was a child. After college, she joined All India Radio as an announcer and auditioned for Doordarshan in 1976. When All India Radio and Doordarshan became separate organisations in 1978, she chose to stay with Doordarshan.
Neethi Ravindran: an unexpected audition
Ravindran had read news on radio and worked with Films Division, writing and voicing commentaries. She approached Doordarshan because she wanted to make films, but was unexpectedly asked to audition as a newsreader. She recalled reading the news for the first time on Diwali night in 1976.
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Rini Simon: a voice noticed early
Simon described an early interest in speaking and pronunciation. After Information and Broadcasting Minister Vasant Sathe heard her at a speaking competition, she gained radio exposure and went on to other radio and documentary work. She said she applied to audition for television news and was selected in 1984.
What they remembered about the live newsroom
The presenters’ recollections describe a broadcast built around people, paper and real-time cues. Aiyar said there were no teleprompters: someone rolled the script for the presenter to read, while studio staff signaled when to speed up or slow down. The presenters also recalled receiving breaking news in writing while a bulletin was on air.
Those details are memories shared in the Scroll.in interview, not a comprehensive account of Doordarshan’s newsroom practices across every programme or year. They nevertheless show how the interviewees experienced the demands of reading live television news: keep pace with the bulletin, follow direction from the studio, and absorb updates as they arrived.
What they said about limits and neutrality
The interviewees also remembered constraints on announcements and expectations for presenters’ conduct. Ravindran recalled that the bulletin did not report Indira Gandhi’s election loss until the following day. She said that after Gandhi’s assassination she was called in and allowed to announce the news at 6 p.m.
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Simon described an expectation that newsreaders avoid displaying political bias. She also recalled a disciplinary response after an advertisement used Doordarshan branding and its signature tune in a way that could be mistaken for a news bulletin.
How they viewed television news in 2017
The three presenters did not give one shared verdict on television news. Their comments in the 2017 interview mixed approval of changes with criticism of the way news was presented.
- Aiyar welcomed the greater grilling of politicians and ministers.
- Ravindran appreciated improved technology and a freer environment, while criticizing on-air aggression.
- Simon said she remained drawn to news but disliked its aggressive presentation. She also argued that Doordarshan had offered coverage from across the country.
These are the presenters’ assessments at the time of the interview, not a measured comparison of all broadcasters. Simon summarized her view this way: “Doordarshan, whatever you may say are its problems, gave you the complete news.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Source and context
This account draws on Archana Nathan’s September 25, 2017 Scroll.in feature. It presents the three former presenters’ experiences and opinions; it is not a complete institutional history of Doordarshan or a survey of television news.
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