India, Feb. 14 -- In 1983, when I was selected as a Hindi newsreader at India's national broadcaster Doordarshan, the joy I felt went far beyond the excitement of appearing before millions on television. What thrilled me even more was the opportunity to work alongside the most respected voices of that era, and that included Sarla Maheshwari.

There were also Salma Sultan, JV Raman, Shobhna Jagdeesh and Avinash Kaur in the Hindi section, besides Geetanjali, Neethi, Komal and Tejeshwar in English, if I remember it well.

In those days, Doordarshan newsreaders were not celebrities; they were the nation's voice - steady, credible, composed. Sarla Maheshwari embodied that ideal completely.

Our training was rigorous. We were taught that readin...