Award winning Doordarshan anchor Gitanjali Aiyar no more

One of India's first English news presenters, Gitanjali Aiyar, passed away on Wednesday. The award-winning anchor was in her mid-70s.

Reports say that Aiyar collapsed after she came home from a walk. She was battling Parkinson's disease.

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


Aiyar graduated from Kolkata's Loreto College, joining Doordarshan in 1971. She was awarded the honour of best anchor four times. She also won the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for Outstanding Women in 1989.

Aside from making a name for herself in news, Aiyar had also been a popular face in several print advertisements and even acted in Sridhar Kshirsagar's TV drama "Khandaan." She held a diploma from the National School of Drama (NSD),

Twitter saw many condole her demise, from Congress leaders to journalists.

"We fondly remember the days when Gitanjali Aiyar ji graced our TV screens, leaving an indelible mark on our news-watching experiences," tweeted Congress leader Netta D'Souza.


"Gitanjali Aiyar, India's one of the best tv newsreaders, warm and elegant person and woman of immense substance passed away today. Deepest condolences to her family," tweeted journalist Sheela Bhatt.

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