Doordarshan completes 41 years of colour telecast

On 25th April 1982, Doordarshan began its colour telecast and ushered into a new era marking a new phase for Indian television.

On the occasion, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said the beginning of colour telecast on Doordarshan was a historic day that ushered in a new era in Indian television broadcasting.

Taking to Twitter, the minister wrote: "Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram... This day of the year 1982 is historic in the history of India, on this day itself @DDNational was colored with black and white, a new chapter, a new era started. Hearty congratulations not only to the people associated with #DD but to every Indian on this special day.

"Today this channel is making an important contribution in nation building through its accurate telecast."

While Doordarshan started as an experimental broadcaster in Delhi on 15 September 1959, the regular daily transmission started in 1965 as part of All India Radio.

Television service was separated from radio on 1 April 1976.

Colour television began in India with the live telecast of the Independence Day speech by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 15 August of that year, followed by the colour telecast of the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi.

1982 was also the year when National telecasts (DD National) was introduced in the country.

Today, Doordarshan operates 46 studios and 21 television channels: two all-India channels (DD National and DD News), 17 regional satellite channels, 11 state networks, an international channel (DD India), a sports channel (DD Sports), DD Bharati, DD Retro, DD Urdu and an agricultural channel, DD Kisan.