10 Points | Yin and Yang reference to removed slogan, the story of Doordarshan's logo

National broadcaster Doordarshan has changed the colour. The new logo is predominantly saffron in colour and has kicked up a row in the political circles. 

While the opposition claimed it to be a move to "saffronise" government entities, Prasar Bharati CEO  Gaurav Dwivedi denied the allegation. “The colour is orange. Six to seven months ago, we revamped the DD India (English channel) logo to the same colour ahead of the G20. Thus, two news channels from the same group now follow the same visual aesthetic,” he reportedly said. 

Amidst the constroversy, here is the story of the Doordarshan logo so far: 

1. One of India’s oldest public broadcasting services, Doordarshan, made its debut on September 15, 1959. Doordarshan’s popularity can be attributed to the growing vogue of television during that time. Originally part of All India Radio, the channel holds a great deal of emotional attachment and nostalgia for people of the 80s.

2. The Government-owned broadcaster, Prasar-Bharati changed the existing logo to a Saffron/Orange colour to appeal to the young audience and reflect a more Modern India, symbolized by a refreshing start.

3. The former logo was designed by Devashis Bhattacharya, an alumnus of the National Institute of Design in the early 1970s. His design was one among the 14 entries and was selected by then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.  RL Mistry, another NID graduate was entrusted with the animation of the original symbol. He made copies of Bhattacharya’s work and shot them from different angles using a camera until it rotated and reached the final form. This is popularly known as the “DD Eye”. 

4. The logo has a symbolic representation of the famous “Yin and Yang” which shows the theme of “opposite but interconnected”. This symbolizes the rich and diverse culture of India and how different everyone is from each other, but somehow interconnected. 

5. The logo with the slogan “Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram”, which stands for “Truth, Divinity and Beauty”, was eventually removed.

6. Bhattacharya, who is now over 60 years old, ensured that the logo had the same meaning throughout the nation, representing the various cultures of India and did not allow for any religious misinterpretations. 

7. Over the years, the logo was redesigned in the late 80s and 90s to accommodate new channels like DD Sports and DD News. Despite adapting to the changes, the essence of the original logo was retained. 

8. The new logo shows a mix of old-fashioned beliefs and new, stylish looks, striving for a balance between the two. 

9. The new update was announced via Doordarshan’s official X-handle, which stated, “While our values remain the same, we are now available in a new avatar.”

10. Public figures like Ayushmann Khurrana expressed their emotional attachment to the channel, stating that the new change feels like his most cherished childhood memories are being altered.