56 years of Doordarshan

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 Doordarshan's 56th birthday
 Remember the days when cable channels were not that available and all we had on television was DD channel? At that time, DD was the best thing that had happened to us with programmes like He Man and the Masters of the Universe, Mowgli, Malgudi Days, Vikram Aur Betaal and many more. What would have happened to our childhood without this one channel, DD?
The channel, Doordarshan, went live on Sepetember 15, 56 years ago in 1959. To celebrate the 56 years of Doordarshan, let's grab some very, very amazing facts on Doordarshan:
  • On September 15, 1959, UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization), gave India 20,000 dollars and 180 Philips sets to start India's largest broadcasting organisation, Doordarshan
  • It is said that the broadcasting equipment was donated by Germans who had come for an industrial exhibition
  • All India Radio (AIR) supplied floor space and initial news content to Doordarshan
  • In the starting year of the channel, the channel had only 180 Television sets. In 10 years, the number had grown to 1,250 sets. A television producing factory at Kanpur had provided 1,250 sets. In 1970, it grew to 22,00 and by 1977 the number had grown to a Quarter Million
  • It was in the year 1965, Doordarshan started broadcasting News
  • In the year 1975, Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme, suggested an Indian National Satellite (INSAT) plan to send TV signals all over India
  • In 1976, Indira Gandhi went on television to announce the separation on Doordarshan from AIR
  • In 1965, Doordarshan began a five-minute news bulletin
  • Pratima Puri was the first newsreader
  • DD has its own free of charge D.T.H service called DD Direct Plus
  • DD India is available in 146 countries worldwide
  • Doordarshan has over 60 channels which includes DD1, DD2, DD Daman and Diu, DD Arunachal Pradesh, DD English, DD Goa etc
  • In 2014, Doordarshan relaunched with new theme of pink and purple. The channel was also accompanied by a new punchline "Desh ka Apna Channel".

Some Early National Programming on Doordarshan channel:
1.    He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
2.    Hindi film songs based programmes like Chitrahaar, Rangoli, Ek Se Badkar Ek and Superhit Muqabla.
3.    Crime thrillers like Barrister Vinod, Karamchand, Aparadhi Kaun, Police File Se, Byomkesh Bakshi, Tehkikaat and Janki Jasoos
4.    Sarab Sanji Gurbani was the first sponsored programme on Doordarshan, which was sponsored by Texla TV.
5.    Mowgli which was a Hindi version of a Japanese anime. Its original music was composed by Vishal Bhardwaj
6.    Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Tom and Jerry cartoons, Faerie Tale Theatre, Dada Dadi ki Kahaniyan, Ek Do Teen Chaar, Vikram Aur Betaal, Space City Sigma, The Stone Boy, Malgudi Days, Tenali Rama, Potli Baba Ki, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Superhuman Samurai Cyber Squad, Knight Rider, Teletubbies, Street Hawk, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz are also some of them.
Happy 56th to Doordarshan!


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