New Delhi: ‘Doordarshan’ turned 60 Sunday bringing back memories of a golden period when entertainment in the country revolved around serials such as ‘Mahabharata’, ‘Fauji’ and ‘Malgudi Days’.
People turned nostalgic on Twitter to mark the public service broadcaster of India’s 60 years with several of them asking on social media ‘which is your favourite DD shows’. Some posted its iconic logo that used to appear before the start of programmes with its characteristic tune.
There were many who shared their fond memories associated with ‘Doordarshan’ and remembered iconic shows that made their childhood days memorable.
Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said also quick to point out that the broadcaster in spite of getting older was also on a modernising mode. “It’s a moment to recognise that it’s not that Doordarshan has got older, but it is getting newer for digital audiences,” pointed out Vempati.
“It is not only that Doordarshan has turned 60 but the history of television broadcasting in India now spans six decades – a milestone for all of TV industry in India,” added Vempati.
Doordarshan DG Supriya Sahu said, “Doordarshan is in the DNA of India. Happy Birthday Doordarshan. 60 Glorious Years of DD. May you continue to enthrall generations of Indians. Starting off as an experiment in 1959, Doordarshan can take pride in the fact that it has emerged as one of the leading broadcasters in the world,” Supriya Sahu said in a video message.
Doordarshan, which began as an experiment on September 15, 1959, became a service in 1965, when it began beaming signals to reach television sets in living rooms in and around the national capital. By 1972, services were extended to Mumbai and Amritsar and then to seven other cities by 1975.
All this time, it was part of the national broadcaster, ‘All India Radio’. However, April 1, 1976, it transited to become a separate department in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Over the years, Doordarshan has grown into a network operating 34 satellite channels, besides providing free-to-air DTH service having 104 in its bookings.
Many a career were launched on this platform, including that of Shah Rukh Khan who became a household name after his serial ‘Fauji’, and many shows went on to become classics.
Entertainment shows like ‘Chitrahaar’, ‘Mahabharat’, ‘Dekh Bhai Dekh’, ‘ Malgudi Days’, among others, captured the imagination of the Indian public in the late 1980s and early 90s, and still remains etched in people’s minds as pure entertainment that brought people together.
PTI