The public broadcaster Doordarshan has swapped its iconic red logo to a dynamic new saffron shade, causing a stir among opposition leaders. An official post from DD News officially announced, 'While our values remain unchanged, we're now presented in a fresh avatar. Ready yourself for a news journey like never before with the all-new DD News.' The change, however, has irritated the opposition.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP and former CEO of Prasar Bharati, Jawahar Sircar called out the color change as 'saffronization' of Doordarshan. He expressed his concerns over social media, 'The national broadcaster Doordarshan has saffronized its historic flagship logo! As its ex-CEO, I am watching this move with concern—this is no longer Prasar Bharati, it has become Propaganda Bharati.'
'A government attempt to capture institutions,' says Congress
Congress representative Manish Tewari accused the logo change of being an insidious government ploy to seize control of state institutions. During his tenure as the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting from 2012 to 2014, he observed, 'This move represents an attempt at saffronization and the takeover of public institutions, thereby undermining the neutrality and trust of India's public broadcaster.'
The BJP's vice-president for Andhra Pradesh defended the modification, 'The original Doordarshan logo featured saffron when it was launched in 1959. Readopting the original logo signifies their disdain for saffron and Hinduism,' suggesting opposition leaders are expressing their antipathy. UP's Deputy Chief Minister, Keshav Prasad Maurya, countered, 'They have such hatred for saffron... they can't enjoy the essence of our color... These people are merely appeasers.'
'Change with visual aesthetics in mind,' says Prasar Bharati CEO
Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO of Prasar Bharati, defended the change stating 'The new orange logo is visually attractive and the shift was with visual aesthetics in mind. It's orange, not saffron. The change isn't just in the logo—we've upgraded the entire look and feel of DD. It is unfortunate that people are commenting without understanding the comprehensive work done in the past six to eight months on changing DD's look and feel.' Meanwhile, sources at Prasar Bharati told the media that considering the new logo as aligned with the BJP's colors is 'inaccurate,' saying, 'In recent years, Doordarshan has used blue, yellow, and red for its logos, but the change isn't drastic. The two petals and the globe between them remain the same as before.'
The History of Doordarshan
Doordarshan first aired on September 15, 1959, as a public broadcasting service. By 1965, it evolved into a daily broadcast service, transmitting morning and evening shows starting in Delhi. Doordarshan's services expanded to Mumbai, Amritsar, and other cities by 1975. On April 1, 1976, the broadcaster came under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and became the national broadcaster in 1982. In 1984, DD extended its network with more channels; today, it operates six national and 17 regional channels.
