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Doordarshan, India's national broadcaster, has stirred controversy with its new saffron logo, a color linked to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Critics, including former Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari, see this as a governmental takeover of institutions.
However, Prasar Bharati CEO Gaurav Dwivedi defends the change, citing the need for visual refreshment and high recall value of the chosen colors, dismissing any political implications.

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Doordarshan unveils new logo for DD News

'Hurts to see..': Ex-Prasar Bharati CEO on Doordarshan's saffron logo 

By Chanshimla Varah

Apr 20, 2024

05:30 pm

What's the story

Doordarshan revealed its new logo for its news channel, DD News, on April 16, when the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections was just days away. The logo's color change from red to saffron has received backlash from the opposition, including Trinamool Congress MP Jawhar Sircar, who served as CEO of Prasar Bharati between 2012 and 2014. "As ex-CEO...it hurts to see the saffronization of Doordarshan's logo. It's not Prasar Bharati anymore; it's Prachar (publicity) Bharati!" Sircar said.

Twitter Post

Check out Sircar's video

As ex CEO of Prasar Bharati it hurts to see the saffronisation of Doordarshan’s logo
— just before elections!
It will influence voters, by overlaying the colour one religion and Sangh parivar colour with a ‘neutral’ Public Broadcaster and a biassed Govt/Regime! pic.twitter.com/g7m0PH9nMf

— Jawhar Sircar (@jawharsircar) April 20, 2024

Political backlash

Political parties criticize Doordarshan's logo change

The new logo has faced criticism online, especially because the saffron color is often associated with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), also known as the "Saffron party." Congress leader and former Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari alleged that "the logo color change was an attempt by the government to capture government institutions." The current CEO of Prasar Bharati, Gaurav Dwivedi, however, disagreed with the criticisms, defending the change as necessary in terms of visual aesthetics.

CEO's defense

Prasar Bharti CEO defends logo change amid criticism

"Not just the logo color; we have redone our equipment and studios as well," Dwivedi said. "The logo colors have changed multiple times over decades and different color combinations have been tried. The visual aesthetics need to be refreshed to differentiate the channel," he added. As for the color's association with the BJP, he said, "That is absolutely not a consideration as far as we are concerned. Orange, yellow and black have the highest recall value. This is scientific."

Logo evolution

Doordarshan's history 

Doordarshan, launched in 1959, originally had a saffron logo, which was later changed to blue, yellow, and red. However, the two petals with a globe in the center have remained consistent throughout these changes. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi chose the first logo from among 14 designs submitted by eight students and six faculty members. The iconic logo she chose was designed by Devashis Bhattacharyya, a former National Institute of Design (NID) student.