India’s public broadcaster Doordarshan turns 62 this month, celebrating a long journey that began as a modest experiment in 1959.

Gradually, it grew and paved the way for the emergence of a new era in the Indian television industry. During the initial years, there were makeshift studios and voice and visuals were beamed through a small transmitter.

The experiment turned into a service in 1965 when Doordarshan reached TV sets in living rooms in and around the country’s capital – Delhi. By 1972, Mumbai and Amritsar were added and then to seven other cities by 1975.

By the 90s, it had started reaching our hearts even in remote areas of the countries and people used to remain glued to their TV sets for their most-loved programmes.

It was Doordarshan that brought epics like Ramayan and Mahabharat on the silver screen for every Indian household. Its music show Chitrahaar and Rangoli won our hearts in the 80s and 90s. There were many other news and entertainment shows that made people aware of their country and the current developments around the world. It soon turned into a driver for the celebration of India’s diversity and its unity.