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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JULY 17, 2026 | The Indian Eye 21

news presenter Sheila Chaman, who man and Damodaran were newsread-
spoke about her recently published ers it was a very different atmosphere.
book, Doordarshan Diaries: The Amb. Sreenivasn pointed that
Golden Era of Television. The book, while Kerala networks aren’t immune
co-authored by ten former Doordar- from the trends of the north, they are,
shan colleagues from different de- on the whole, not filled with shouting
partments, chronicles the evolution matches. He also spoke of the rise of
of Indian television through the ex- individual news creators whose You-
periences of those who helped shape Tube channels are huge hits.
its formative years. Chaman described “To have a chance to talk about
it as both a nostalgic memoir and an the past, present and future of the rich-
important historical record of India’s est, most diverse TV landscape in the
pioneering television era. world was exciting. Only GOPIO and
Recalling the early years of broad- Dr Thomas Abraham could conceive
casting, Chaman explained that news ushered in an era of multi-channel shop stations”—several have grown of and convene such an unusual dis-
presenters wrote or edited much of broadcasting and unprecedented into influential media organizations, cussion,” concluded Sree Sreenivasan,
their own scripts and delivered them viewer choice. Today, India has more demonstrating that innovation and co-founder of Digimentors, who earli-
entirely from memory, as teleprompt- than 900 satellite television channels, quality journalism can flourish even er in the day, hosted the 400th episode
ers and autocue systems did not yet ex- while Doordarshan itself operates outside the large broadcast networks. of his NYT Readalong show.
ist. The demanding process required around 50 channels serving diverse re- Concluding his remarks, Ambas- As a token of appreciation, the
exceptional preparation, discipline, gional and national audiences. Citing sador Sreenivasan drew an interest- speakers were presented with a rare
and memory—qualities that defined a study by the Indian Institute of Man- ing parallel between diplomacy and First Day Covers, canceled and re-
the professionalism of Doordarshan’s agement Ahmedabad, Chaman noted journalism. “Both professions,” he leased by the US Postal Service during
early broadcasters. that India’s television audience is pro- said, “share a common purpose—to the First Global Convention of People
She also presented a PowerPoint jected to grow to nearly 1.03 billion educate and inform the public. Diplo- of Indian Origin in New York City in
featuring photographs and archival viewers by 2029, underscoring tele- mats do it discreetly; journalists do it 1989, where GOPIO was founded.
material from the book, tracing the vision’s continuing relevance despite publicly.” These collector’s item of US Postal
journey of Indian television from its the rapid growth of digital media. On the symposium topic, Da- Service’s First Day Cover featuring
experimental launch in 1959 to the in- Former Ambassador T. P. Sreeni- modaran said, “If there is one element Mahatma Gandhi stamps, honored
troduction of color broadcasts during vasan reflected on his own unexpect- which has transformed television in the Indian diaspora and the historic
the 1982 Asian Games. Interwoven ed journey into television after retir- the last 35 years, it is the emergence global meet.
with this history was her own career ing from the Indian Foreign Service. of accountability and that anyone who The symposium attracted a large
at Doordarshan, where she had the “It is ironic,” he remarked, “that the appears on television needs to be pre- audience of community leaders,
opportunity to interview national oldest member of this panel is speak- pared to justify actions taken, or not media professionals, scholars, and
leaders, interact with renowned film ing about the newest trends in televi- taken, and place that justification be- members of the Indian American
personalities, and serve as a master of sion.” He explained that he became fore the people of India.” community, generating an engaging
ceremonies at numerous national and an “accidental television journalist” at “It is clear that audiences should discussion on the remarkable evolu-
international events. a time when regional news channels demand better coverage as democra- tion of Indian television and its fu-
Inviting the panelists to reflect on were expanding rapidly and creating cy in India and abroad depends on it,” ture in the digital age. Among those
the symposium’s theme, “Indian Tele- new opportunities for informed pub- Damodaran added. in attendance were GOPIO Interna-
vision – Yesterday, Today and Tomor- lic discourse. During the open discussion, the tional Chairman Dr. Thomas Abra-
row,” moderator Sree Sreenivasan led He observed that one of the most speakers lamented the way Indian TV ham, GOPIO International Council
a lively discussion on the remarkable significant developments in recent news has become all about sensation- Chair for Seniors Mukund Mehta,
transformation of the Indian televi- years has been the emergence of small, alism with competing, exaggerated Kerala Center Founder and GOPIO
sion industry. regional news channels. Although headlines and news items. The shout- Life Member E. M. Stephen, GOPIO
Chaman noted that Doordar- many began with modest resources— ing matches are a disservice to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry
shan, India’s pioneering public broad- what he humorously described as “tea audience. In the early days when Cha- Secretary Ganesh Pager, Kerala Cen-
caster, began modestly on September ter Secretary Raju Thomas, along with
15, 1959, with a small transmitter numerous Life Members of GOPIO,
and a makeshift studio, broadcasting the GOPIO-Manhattan Chapter, and
only a few hours a day. Programming the Indian American Kerala Cultural
initially focused on education, agri- and Civic Center.
culture, literacy, and national devel- The event was jointly coordinat-
opment. A major milestone came on ed by Kerala Center President Alex
August 15, 1982, when color television Esthappan and GOPIO Internation-
was introduced in time for the Asian al Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham.
Games, ushering in a new era of tech- Kerala Center Vice President Daisy
nological advancement and dramat- Stephen delivered the vote of thanks,
ically expanding television’s reach expressing appreciation to the dis-
across the country. tinguished speakers for sharing their
She explained that India’s tele- experiences and insights, and to the
vision landscape underwent a fun- audience for their enthusiastic partic-
damental transformation after the ipation despite a warm summer Sun-
economic reforms of the early 1990s. day afternoon. She noted that the live-
The arrival of CNN during the Gulf ly interaction between the panelists
War, followed by private broadcasters and attendees reflected the continu-
such as Star TV, Zee TV, and Sony, ing interest in the history, growth, and
ended Doordarshan’s monopoly and future of Indian television and media.

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