Shammi Narang pays tribute to former co-anchor Sarla Maheshwari

New Delhi: Former Doordarshan anchor Shammi Narang, who broke the news of his co-news anchor Sarla Maheshwari’s passing, posted an emotional note on social media on Thursday, recalling her professionalism and presence on screen.

In the post, Narang described Maheshwari as “the embodiment of grace and courtesy” and wrote about her command over language and the responsibility that came with reading the news in the Doordarshan era.

I feel utmost grief in announcing the sad demise of my ex co-News anchor at Doordarshan, Sarala Maheshwari 🙏

She was the embodiment of grace and courtesy.
Beautiful not just in appearance but even more so at heart, she had a remarkable command over language and was a reservoir… pic.twitter.com/VIX8khALBC

— Shammi Narang (@iamshamminarang) February 12, 2026

Narang, a familiar Doordarshan face for decades and later known to younger audiences as the voice behind public announcements, had also shared the stage over the years with several presenters from different generations, including Mandira Bedi.

As BestMediaInfo reported earlier, Maheshwari passed away on February 12 in Delhi. The family note said her cremation took place at Nigam Bodh Ghat later the same day.

Maheshwari served as a Doordarshan news anchor from 1976 to 2005, according to BestMediaInfo’s earlier report.

She began as an announcer after auditioning while pursuing her PhD at Delhi University and later moved into news reading, spanning the shift from black-and-white to colour television.

Maheshwari moved to the UK to work with the BBC in the mid-1980s and returned to Doordarshan later, rejoining after relocating back to India.