Doordarshan turned 61 years old today. The channel was first established on September 15, 1959. For the audience, especially the 90s kids, Doordarshan is not merely a channel, it’s an emotion. Back then, the only channel on the Television sets used to be the only source of entertainment. Shaktimaan, Bharat ek Khooj, Malgudi Days, Ramayana, to name a few were hit shows people use to binge-watch.
Taking it to Twitter, Doordarshan National wrote, “Celebrating 61 Glorious Years of #Doordarshan!”
Celebrating 61 Glorious Years of #Doordarshan!! pic.twitter.com/EXNJwKxrAa
— Doordarshan National (@DDNational) September 15, 2020
On this occasion, the Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar took to Twitter to express his greetings on the Foundation Day of the state broadcaster. “Doordarshan is a part of his life. Doordarshan gave many good programs from Ramayana, Mahabharata to the unknown. Even today, India’s public service broadcaster Doordarshan, DDNews, DDKisan, DDBharati, DDNational, and DDRetro are connected continuously through so many channels. Happy #DoordarshanDay!” Javadekar tweeted.
दूरदर्शन अपने जीवन का भाग है। रामायण, महाभारत से लेकर न जाने कितने अच्छे कार्यक्रम दूरदर्शन ने दिए। आज भी भारत का लोक सेवा प्रसारक दूरदर्शन, DDNews, DDKisan, DDBharati, DDNational और DDRetro इतने चैनल्स के द्वारा निरंतर हम सबसे जुड़ा है।
Happy #DoordarshanDay ! pic.twitter.com/RLF9D85n2M
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) September 15, 2020
On the occasion of the 61st anniversary of Doordarshan, let’s walk down the memory lane. Here are a few Doordarshan shows that are still people’s favourite:
Shaktimaan:
The homegrown superhero, Shaktimaan became a sensation in the 90s. The show was kid-oriented with a strong social message in each episode. Shaktimaan was played by the Bollywood actor and producer, Mukesh Khanna. The only supernatural Indian show had a great impact on children back then.
Malgudi Days:
Remember Swami? This Indian Television series was filmed both in Hindi and English. The series was based on the 1943 short story collection of the same name by R.K. Narayan. Malgudi days had telecasted four seasons. The show is available on the OTT platform, Disney+Hotstar.
Bharat Ek Khoj:
Based on Jawahar Lal Nehru’s book, The Discovery of India, which he wrote while in jail at the Ahmednagar fort, the show was an attempt to bring to life what Nehru wrote. The show was about the 5000-year history of India from its beginning to independence in 1947.
Ramayana:
Doordarshan was mostly popular among the masses due to the Hindu mythological show Ramayana. This year, as the pandemic hit India shutting down the production houses and holding shootings, Ramayana was telecasted yet again by Doordarshan. The TRP broke records after the telecast.
Byomkesh Bakshi:
The detective show, Byomkesh Bakshi was much loved and appreciated by the audience. The Indian-Bengali fictional detective was created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. The detective used to solve many mysteries that remain unsolved by police. The lead role was played by Bollywood’s veteran actor Rajit Kapoor.
