INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Gitanjali Aiyar, one of India's first English female news presenters on national broadcaster Doordarshan, passed away on
The award-winning anchor, who was suffering from Parkinson's disease, collapsed after returning home from a walk, sources close to the
"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.
