Doordarshan Changed The Logo Colour

This change sparks row…

National broadcaster Doordarshan has changed the colour of its historic logo from red to saffron.

The announcement was made on the official page of DD News, which in a post, said, "While our values remain the same, we are now available in a new avatar."

"Get ready for a new journey like never before… Experience the all-new DD News!" it further added.

The move was slammed by a member of the Rajya Sabha and ex-CEO of Prasar Bharati (DD, AIR), Jawhar Sircar, who said he has been watching the national broadcaster's "saffronisation".

"National broadcaster Doordarshan colours its historic flagship logo in saffron! As its ex-CEO, I have been watching its saffronisation with alarm and feel — it's not Prasar Bharati — it's Prachar Bharati!” (sic), he wrote on X.

In an exclusive conversation, Tewari said, "This is an attempt on the part of the government to saffronism and captures the government institutions. The said move undermines the neutrality and credibility of India's public broadcaster."

In response, BJP's Andhra Pradesh state vice-president said, "When Doordarshan was launched in 1959, it had a saffron logo. Now, as the government reintroduces the original logo, liberals and Congress are outraged over it."

"It's blatantly obvious they harbour hate against 'Bhagwa' and Hindus," (sic), he wrote on X.

Defending the national broadcaster's move, Prasar Bharti CEO, Gaurav Dwivedi, said that the new logo is an orange colour. This is a change of visual aesthetic.

"The colour is orange, not saffron," he asserted.

"It is not just the logo that we have changed, the entire look and feel has been uplifted. It is incorrect and unfortunate that people are reading more into this. We were working on changing the look and feel of DD for the past six to eight months," he said.