Durga Puja Pandal In Kolkata Reminds Of Doordarshan Days With Its Innovative Set Up, See Photos Here

Durga Puja 2022 gets a taste of nostalgia at Santoshpur Lake Pally Durga Pandal where artist Avijit Ghatak designed set up reminds of Doordarshan and Prasar Bharti days.

Durga Puja 2022: As Durga Puja festivity has seized the city of joy and rightly so; after a hiatus of two years owed to the Covid-19 pandemic, Kolkata witnesses everything grand this year. From Metaverse to Vatican City, organisers have left no stone unturned in making this comeback memorable. In a similar attempt, this year, Santoshpur Lake Palli Durga Puja pandal has been decorated with the setup of Doordarshan and Prasar Bharati, which has become a sweet reminiscent of the older days of Indian television for Indians.

Kolkata | Unique-themed Durga puja pandal in Santoshpur Lake Palli pays tribute to 90’s era of Doordarshan

This year,Santoshpur Lake Palli Durga Puja pandal has been decorated with setup of Doordarshan&Prasar Bharati:A Bagchi,Joint Secy,Santoshpur Lake Pally Durga Puja Committee pic.twitter.com/kN7Rl3yz9j

— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2022

The pandal has been beautifully designed by artist Avijit Ghatak, the entrance flanked by the life-size hand-painted image of Goddess Durga.

Relive the era of Doordarshan- a Durga Pujo pandal dedicated to the public broadcaster Doodarshan, their programs, presenters, the portable TVs, antennas. If you’re from the 70s or 80s you will absolutely feel nostalgic in this pandal created by Santoshpur lake pally of kolkata. pic.twitter.com/5huqTsCPo4

— Sourav || সৌরভ (@Sourav_3294) October 1, 2022

There is no end to creativity and innovation in Durga Pandals this year and the best part of it all is, the action can be caught on your mobile phones. Using this link, you can take a virtual tour of the major pandals in the city.

Doordarshan has dominated over the mind-space of Indian viewers for decades and the golden era of broadcaster is considered to be 1980s and 1990s until liberalisation in 1991 opened doors for other private channels.

On September 15, 1959, Doordarshan (or “a glimpse of all afar”, as the Prasar Bharati website describes it) was launched in Delhi using equipment from West Germany. In 1965, it began broadcasting to homes in and around New Delhi. Mumbai and Amritsar had access to the services by 1972, and seven additional cities were added three years later.

On April 1976, Doordarshan, until then a part of All India Radio (AIR), became a separate Department of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Currently, along with Akashvani, it is one of Prasar Bharati’s divisions.

The coverage of the Ninth Asian Games in Delhi, which were held from November 19 to December 4, 1982, was a turning point in Indian television history. For the first time, Doordarshan offered nationwide coverage in colour via INSAT 1A. The Republic Day parade at Janpath, the thrill of a sporting event, scenes from far-off battlefields, and summit venues kept viewers glued to their seats in the years that followed. Sunday evenings were movie time.

The airing of Ramayan in 1987 followed by Mahabharat was another watershed moment in Doordarshan’s history.

Post liberalisation, India became a hub of channels both home-produced and international ones. But the nostalgia of Doordarshan does take one to those screens from time to time.