From beauteous Salma to loud Arnab: Faces that defined news in #FreeIndia

[caption id=“attachment_1661531” align=“alignleft” width=“940”]  Perhaps the most recognised face of Indian television news in the 1980s, Salma Sultan began her career as a presenter at the age of 23. She is widely remembered for presenting the daily bulletin with a rose tucked low in her hair. Sultan, while announcing the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination, shed a tear on live television. Her last appearance on Doordarshan was in the year 1997.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1661049” align=“alignleft” width=“940”]  On 16 August 1947 22-year-old Surajit Sen walked into the offices of All India Radio and was offered a job as a newscaster. Appropriately the man who became the voice of the newly independent country had turned down an offer from the BBC. India learned about the world - whether it was the end of the Bangladesh War or the massacre at the Munich Olympics - through his distinctive voice at a time when news was still about gravitas not decibels. Image courtesy: airddfamily.blogspot.in[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1661029” align=“alignleft” width=“940”]  Gitanjali Aiyar was one of the first English news presenters who joined the national broadcaster in the year 1971. In her over 30-year career at Doordarshan, Geetanjai Aiyar was awarded the best anchor person four times.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1661047” align=“alignleft” width=“940”]  Melville de Mellow, a former lieutenant in the Army, joined AIR in 1950. His baritone became one of the most recognized voices on air, widely remembered for his 7-hour non-stop coverage of Mahatma Gandhi’s funeral from an AIR van behind the cortege. He also covered Republic Day parades for years but showed equal facility in covering India-Pakistan hockey matches.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1661031” align=“alignleft” width=“940”]  In the late 1980s, it was Neethi Ravindran that graced Doordarshan news’ English service, and is best remembered for her coverage of Mother Teresa’s death in 1997. Ravindran was also the brainchild behind the award-winning documentary Fifty Years of India’s Independence.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1661033” align=“alignleft” width=“940”]  A chartered accountant and economist by profession Prannoy Roy is well known for his detailed election analysis on Doordarshan as well as on New Delhi Television (NDTV) the channel he later set-up. On Doordarshan, Roy hosted the popular world show ‘The World This Week’ in the late 80s and through the 90s.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1661039” align=“alignleft” width=“940”]  While widely remembered for his coverage of current affairs and the economy, Sunit Tandon was also a radio broadcaster at All India Radio for over 30 years. Tandon presented the news on the national broadcaster till as late as 2007.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1661035” align=“alignleft” width=“940”]  A former print journalist, Rajdeep Sardesai began his television career in 1994 as political editor of NDTV. Remembered for his hosting of ‘The Big Fight’, Sardesai quit NDTV to set-up Global Broadcast News in association with CNN and TV18, where CNN-IBN was formed. Sardesai quit the channel this year and is currently authoring a book on Indian elections.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1661027” align=“alignleft” width=“940”]  The current enfant terrible of Indian television news, Arnab Goswami began his career at NDTV. In 2006, he took over as the editor-in-chief of TimesNOW. Goswami’s 9pm prime time show ‘The Newshour’, where he debates the main issues of the day that ’the nation demands answers to’, has emerged as the highest TRP grosser. Goswami’s epic rants have caused his competitors to jack up their aggression while his faceoffs with politicians have been remixed into rap.[/caption]