Renowned Doordarshan anchor Gitanjali Aiyar passes away
NEW DELHI: 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.
The award-winning anchor, who was suffering from Parkinson's disease, collapsed after returning home from a walk, sources close to the family said.
"She had Parkinson's disease and was on medication. She collapsed after returning home from a walk," said a close friend of Aiyar.
Graduated from Kolkata's Loreto College, Aiyar 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.
Besides presenting news programmes, Aiyar, a diploma holder from the National School of Drama (NSD), 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).
Several noted personalities took to Twitter to condole the demise of the eminent personality.
"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.
"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.
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Road crash in UP leaves 10 dead
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) (PTI): Ten people were killed when a van collided head-on with a truck on the Sisaiya-Lakhimpur national highway on Monday, police said.
The van was going to Sisaiya from Lakhimpur when the accident took place between Unchgaon and Bharehta villages.
Circle Officer of Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, said all nine passengers travelling in the van and the driver were killed.
District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri Anjani Kumar Singh told reporters that the van collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, leading to nine casualties on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at the district hospital.
Circle Officer, Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh told PTI, "Efforts are on to establish the identity of other deceased persons."
The seven of the deceased have been identified as Jaideep Singh (25), Pawan (23), Sohan (21), Ram Goyal (42), Sahajram (35), Pappu (18), all residents of Bahraich district and Adnan Khan (15), a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district, police said.
Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on X, said, "The loss of life in the unfortunate road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply distressing and heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families."
"I have directed the local administration to provide prompt and adequate assistance to the injured and the victims. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and to bestow a speedy recovery upon the injured," Adityanath said on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak too condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
"The loss of lives resulting from the road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply tragic and heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families," Maurya said.
