The trailblazing newscasters of Doordarshan | #176
+ Iconic inspirations for brand logos 🤓
Dear Friends,
If you happen to watch news on TV you might hear anchors screeching at the top of their voice - “Drug do, Drug do, Mujhe drugs do”, or “You may print anything. You may put anything to print. You may choose not to put it to print. It may not be in print. But it will be in print one day.” (If someone can explain any of this to us, we’d be grateful)
But there was a time, much before this 24 hours newscycle, when the news would be a short program, where a person would read the key headlines of the day, provide more details about current issues, all of it in a reasonable sane voice at minimal volume before saying the words “Samachar Samapth Hue.”
This week’s newsletter, we dust off the ol’ Dyanora TV, switch the channel to number 1, and celebrate some icons who made watching the news a memorable experience.
Things we learnt this week 🤓
Who rose through the ranks to become the most recognizable face on Doordarshan? It is Salma Sultan. The luminary of Doordarshan who adorned our screens for close to three decades. Originally, she donned a rose for its aesthetic appeal on screen. However, the tide of letters flooding Doordarshan's offices, lamenting the occasional absence of the rose, made it clear that it had become her signature. In an unforgettable moment of Indian television, with a heavy heart and clad in a black saree, she announced the demise of Indira Gandhi. In that moment, through her poise and that signature rose, Salma etched herself indelibly into the nation's heart.
As a child, Gitanjali Aiyar was captivated by the radio broadcasts of legends like Surojit Sen and Pamela Singh, particularly struck by their impeccable diction and pronunciation. This early admiration steered her towards elocution and debating events throughout her school and college years. After earning her degree in 1971, she couldn't resist the allure of the microphone and promptly auditioned for AIR, securing a spot in the English news section. She later moved to DD and after the 1982 Asian Games, the introduction of colour television saw her become more popular. She was known as much for the erudite way in which she read the news as well as for her style and hair. She sadly passed away early this year.
If you’ve ever traveled in the Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Hyderabad or Mumbai metro, the voice you hear informing you about the upcoming station is Shammi Narang. And he would not have had any career which involved his strong baritone, if not for a chance encounter in IIT Delhi campus. He was roaming around aimlessly inside the campus when an engineer was doing sound testing and asked Shammi to speak into a mic. On hearing his voice, he asked him to come the next day to record something. Shammi was paid Rs 200 for a 15 minute reading and that started his career in broadcasting. He became the 'face of Doordarshan news reading' and Indian Television in general during the 1970s – 80. His signature style of closing his news bulletins by promptly putting a pen back to his pocket.
Shammi Narang recreating the iconic image of putting the pen back into the pocket and ending the news.
From IWTK, with love 💌
Inspiration is everything including brand logos. Find out which all brands were inspired by the same iconic design for their logo.
Which brand’s color is red, inspired by the colour of Indian brides?
Only In India 🇮🇳
You can take a man out of India, but you cannot take India out of a man.
Stay woke,
❤️ IWTK