Doordarshan, a Public Service Broadcaster of India, functioning under the aegis of Prasar Bharati, has changed the logo color of it’s news channel DD news from red to saffron. The new logo was unveiled on April 16 2024, just before the Lok Sabha elections. Through it’s official twitter account DD said that while its values remained the same, it is “now available in a new avatar”.
While our values remain the same, we are now available in a new avatar. Get ready for a news journey like never before.. Experience the all-new DD News!
We have the courage to put:
Accuracy over speed
Facts over claims
Truth over sensationalismBecause if it is on DD News, it… pic.twitter.com/YH230pGBKs
— DD News (@DDNewslive) April 16, 2024
The criticism
The move was condemned by a number of social media users, who said it amounted to the state-run broadcaster being “saffronized.” Saffron is frequently linked to Hindutva, an ideology supported by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which is its parent organization. The move has come under ablaze with some criticising the timing of the modification so close to Ram Navami. Supporter of the Indian National Congress (INC), Vijay Thottathil, said that this was an effort to saffronize India. He declared, “Save India from saffronization; do not vote for the BJP.”
The origins of Doordarshan
On September 15, 1959, Doordarshan made its debut with a small-scale public service broadcasting experiment. In 1965, the experiment was turned into a service when Doordarshan started airing on televisions in living rooms around New Delhi. By 1975, the services had been expanded to Amritsar, Mumbai, and seven more cities. It was placed under a different ministry under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on April 1, 1976. Doordarshan started broadcasting nationally in 1982.
The 1982 Asian Games in Delhi were shown in colour after the then-prime minister Indira Gandhi gave a live address on Independence Day. This marked the start of Doordarshan’s color broadcasting.
Doordarshan now runs 17 regional channels in addition to 6 national stations. DD National, DD India, DD Kisan, DD Sports, DD Urdu, and DD Bharati are examples of national channels. Conversely, its regional channels are DD Arunprabha, DD Bangla, DD Bihar, DD Chandana, DD Girnar, DD Madhya Pradesh, DD Malayalam, DD North East, DD Odia, DD Podhigai, DD Punjabi, DD Rajasthan, DD Sahyagiri, DD Saptagiri, DD Uttar Pradesh, DD Yadagiri, and DD Kashir.