Doordarshan news anchor Sarla Maheshwari, known for 'gentle voice, precise pronunciation', passes away

Veteran Doordarshan anchor Sarla Maheshwari passed away at the age of 71 in the national capital.

Doordarshan National extended "heartfelt tribute" to their news presenter and remembered her for her "gentle voice, precise pronunciation, and dignified delivery”.

"On behalf of the Doordarshan family, we pay our heartfelt tribute to Mrs Sarla Maheshwari. She was a respected and revered Doordarshan newsreader, who carved a special place in the Indian news world with her gentle voice, precise pronunciation, and dignified delivery. Her simplicity, restraint, and personality instilled a deep trust in her viewers," it said in a post on X on Thursday.

Maheshwari's ex-colleague, Shammi Narang, also expressed grief as he shared the news on the death of his ex-co-anchor.

"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 of knowledge. Her presence on the Doordarshan screen had a unique aura," he wrote in a social media post.

"She respected everyone and uplifted every space she was part of. I pray that God grants her soul eternal peace and gives strength to the Maheshwari family," he added.

All India Mahila Congress described Maheshwari's death as the "end of a golden era of television journalism. Her credibility and decency will always be an inspiration for generations to come”.

Sarla was a prominent anchor on Doordarshan in the 1970s and 1980s. She was one of the first news anchors who read news live on Indian television.

She started her career with Doordarsan in 1976 as a news announcer when she was pursuing her PhD and applied for the post of a news anchor. She worked with Doordarshan till 1984 as a news anchor, and then moved to the UK, where she was a news reader with the BBC till 1986.

She rejoined Doordarshan in 1988 after she moved back to India.

Veteran Doordarshan anchor Sarla Maheshwari's funeral will take place today at 4 pm at Nigam Bodh Ghat in the national capital.