Doordarshan Changes Logo Colour To Saffron
Doordarshan Changes Logo Colour To Saffron
Along with the logo, the channel’s screening colour has also been made saffron, derived from the tricolour flag of India. But it also happens to be the colour code used by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
19 April 2024
India’s government-owned public television broadcaster Prasar Bharati has changed the logo and letter colours of both the Hindi and English channels of Doordarshan after 6 decades to a saffron colour for its new logo.
While our values remain the same, we are now available in a new avatar. Get ready for a news journey like never before.. Experience the all-new DD News!
— DD News (@DDNewslive) April 16, 2024
We have the courage to put:
Accuracy over speed
Facts over claims
Truth over sensationalism
Because if it is on DD News, it… pic.twitter.com/YH230pGBKs
The updated logos officially came into effect at 12 am on Tuesday, 16th April. Earlier the original logo was a combination of blue and yellow, selected by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the early 1970s and designed by Devashis Bhattacharyya, a student from the National Institute of Design (NID).
Along with the logo, the channel’s screening colour has also been made saffron, derived from the tricolour flag of India. But it also happens to be the colour code used by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. In the past, the channel has been criticised for being a pro-government channel that does not provide space to the opposition and is biased towards the then-ruling party, a criticism passed by the BJP itself. Hence, the correlation between revamping only the colour (of the BJP) and not changing the design entirely has sparked controversy.
The landscape has now completely changed with this development aiming to resonate with the masses, especially the youth. It has drawn massive criticism all over social media platforms like X, Instagram, etc, with some people questioning the timing of this change — being just ahead of Ram Navami celebrations — and coincides with certain claims made by the opposition which accuse Doordarshan of alleged bias towards the ruling party in its news, information dissemination and broadcasting.
Doordarshan came out with an official statement regarding the change in logo on X: ‘While our values remain the same, we are now available in a new avatar. Get ready for a news journey like never before. Experience the all-new DD News! We have the courage to put: Accuracy over speed. Facts over claims. Truth over sensationalism. Because if it is on DD News, it is the truth!’
Jawhar Sircar, CEO of Prasar Bharati from 2012 to 2016, has commented on this development on X, expressing his dissent and disappointment towards the same.
In 2019, the Indian National Congress filed a complaint with the Election Commission (EC), accusing Doordarshan of favouring the ruling party in its coverage. In response to the EC’s request for comprehensive data on the coverage of different political parties and key figures, Doordarshan justified its actions by citing “high news value” as a factor associated with news regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
