Desh ka Apna Channel

An emotion filled with memories and a story that runs in every household, this is the official channel with a distant vision, that gives a homely experience because it was born with a superpower to unite a country of millions like one big family.

Designed by Devashis Bhattacharyya as the famous 'eye'; Image Source: OpIndia

Imagine, how exciting it would have been to have a TV in your household, at a time when it was new, limited, and thus precious. You must have heard such stories from your elders when the whole family would sit together and excitedly watched Malgudi Days short stories, BR Chopra's Mahabharata or Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana. Not just this, most of the shows are super classic and make one nostalgic when you talk about the superhero Shaktimaan or the ultimate Chandrakanta. Oh, and how can we forget, the king of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan for he did his first debut with Fauj Serial telecasted on DD National itself. Already too many firsts, but there's genuinely no limit.

Doordarshan has been one of the largest terrestrial broadcasts in the world. Even in places that are remote, DD satellite channels and a number of branches continue to provide information and show content. Despite the fact that the market has grown enormously with technological advancement and the development of OTT platforms, nothing compares to the good memories of the past, which continue to provide a homely feel when someone talks about Doordarshan.

It's impossible to guess how many times this generation has watched Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara because even we are in awe when it leads us on a nostalgia call where the three guys, apparently on a road trip, learn how to live life all over again. However, you may also remember the scene from the last day of their trip, where three of them sit together in a bar reminiscing all the good things of their life; but felt a little lost when they start it with a childhood memory of watching a film every Sunday on Doordarshan. If not, we might give you a reason to watch it again.

So taking inspiration from the same scene, we bring to you a very memorable trip of this channel which is not just relatable to many of your elder's generation but has also been credited with many firsts in the telecast and broadcasting industry.

Today, the young people may not relate with Doordarshan for how big it was a thing at one point in time, as they can watch any film or show from anywhere in the world. However, exactly 62 years ago, a version of this unified every padosi irrespective of their location. Interestingly, it was just a makeshift studio of Akashavani Bhavan, headquarter based in Delhi, from where it all began.

At a time when smartphones were a distant reality, people brought a device that made this distant vision possible with the first telecast of the Doordarshan channel with a five-minute news bulletin read by Pratima Puri, which was merely an experiment.

Those were good old days even for India as a country, for its growth graph was also into experimenting and learning stage but after a long reluctancy. It is for this reason why the idea of television was rejected on grounds of how one could afford or invest in new technology, when in a developing country like India. Hence, it was not only an experiment but a visible risk for it was an expensive deal to administer.

In the early years of Doordarshan, advertising was very minimal when a part of All India Radio, but with gradual development and investments from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, it became a prominent part of the station. The baby project was increasingly able to finance themselves, thanks to commercialisation.

Therefore, it appears perfectly fitting to conclude that when the country was doubting its ability to hold a television, it earned a significant revenue of nearly two million US dollars, within the first year of its journey. Also, why would they not have? From an economic standpoint, India had gained access to a totally new market, and this one was entertaining too.

In time, Doordarshan began to commercialise with soap operas, news, situation comedies, education or society-related shows, classic dramas, art and culture, game shows, etc. Being India's only television provider until 1975, television service was first extended to Bombay and Amritsar. By then, seven Indian cities had television services. In no time, Doordarshan became the most-watched television channel in India, reaching 130 million households every day.

Cover Image Caption