This week, as the nation mourns the passing away of Geetanjali Aiyar, an iconic Doordarshan newsreader, WE WOMEN WANT talks to news readers from the 70s onward to recall the good old days. On the show are USHA ALBUQUERQUE, KOMAL GB SINGH, and RINI SIMON KHAN, NASANGEETA BEDI & MAYURI AGGARWAL
Both Komal and Usha had worked at Doordarshan during the black-and-white days and saw the advent of colour television. Most of them worked at a time when there were no Teleprompters. On the show, they recall the old days with much nostalgia, as that was also a time when news was news and not views colored by the anchor’s own personal biases.
What also came out was the fact that there were no gender biases in Doordarshan, and women were given a level playing field. That much was also obvious from the number of household names that came up during those times as the nation got together to watch one screen.
We Women Want is a weekly show that explores issues that concern most women across demographics. The show has dealt with issues ranging from body shaming, domestic violence, laws that help women (and also those that don’t), women’s health from reproduction to menstruation, including breast cancer and IVF, acid attack survivors, domestic violence, and women in the workplace. The show, moderated by Priya Sahgal, Senior Executive Editor at ITV Network, is fast becoming a support group for women.