Veteran Doordarshan news anchor Sarla Maheshwari passes away

New Delhi: Veteran Doordarshan news anchor Sarla Maheshwari, widely remembered as one of the familiar faces of DD’s news broadcasts in the 1980s and 1990s, has passed away.

The family note said the cremation will be held at Nigam Bodh Ghat in Delhi on February 12 at 4 pm.

Maheshwari was among the familiar faces of Doordarshan’s news bulletins in the pre-24x7 television era, when DD was the country’s dominant broadcast platform. 

She served as a Doordarshan news anchor from 1976 to 2005, and remained a recognisable voice and face for viewers during the era when DD was the country’s dominant television news platform.

Maheshwari began as an announcer after auditioning for Doordarshan while pursuing her PhD at Delhi University and later moved into news reading, witnessing the transition from black-and-white to colour television.

Condolences and tributes have been shared by colleagues and viewers who grew up watching Doordarshan’s news bulletins, with many recalling Maheshwari’s simplicity and on-screen grace as hallmarks of that period.