Indian Diaspora Center Hosts 2026 Annual Symposium On Indian TV
India-West News Desk
ELMONT, NY – The Indian Diaspora Center at the Dr. Thomas Abraham Library, in collaboration with the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin Manhattan Chapter (GOPIO Manhattan) and the Indian American Kerala Cultural and Civic Center, hosted its 2026 Annual Symposium on June 28 at the Kerala Center.
The symposium, ‘Indian Television – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,’ brought together veterans of Indian television and journalism for a panel discussion and interactive session. The panel featured former Doordarshan news presenters Sheila Chaman and Ramu Damodaran, former Indian Ambassador T.P. Sreenivasan, who currently hosts the television program ‘Around and Inside’ on Asianet TV, and Sree Sreenivasan, a digital media expert, journalism professor, host of the ‘Sunday NYT Readalong,’ and co founder of the South Asian Journalists Association.
Kerala Center President Alex Esthappan welcomed the audience and expressed pride that the Kerala Center serves as the home of the Dr. Thomas Abraham Library and the Indian Diaspora Center.
Abraham spoke about the Center’s mission to preserve the history, achievements, and contributions of the global Indian diaspora.
As June 28 marked the birth anniversary of former Indian Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, the symposium opened with a tribute by Ramu Damodaran, who served in Rao’s office before joining the United Nations.
Damodaran said, “P. V. Narasimha Rao is rightly remembered for launching India’s economic liberalization. Equally significant, however, was his commitment to liberalizing the human mind. One visible expression of that vision was opening Indian television to new channels and new opportunities, giving viewers a genuine choice in what they could watch.”
He added, “Mr. Rao was perhaps the first Indian Prime Minister to fully appreciate how effortlessly the United States attracted and benefited from the world’s finest minds. He believed that, irrespective of politics, India should learn from that example by creating an environment where talent could flourish and innovation could thrive.”
Chaman discussed her recently published book, ‘Doordarshan Diaries: The Golden Era of Television.’ Co authored by ten former colleagues, the book chronicles the evolution of Indian television through the experiences of those who helped shape its formative years. She described it as both a nostalgic memoir and an important historical record of India’s pioneering television era.
Recalling the early years of broadcasting, Chaman said news presenters wrote or edited much of their own scripts and delivered them entirely from memory because teleprompters and autocue systems were not yet available. The process, she said, required exceptional preparation, discipline, and memory.
Former Ambassador T. P. Sreenivasan reflected on his unexpected journey into television after retiring from the Indian Foreign Service. “It is ironic,” he said, “that the oldest member of this panel is speaking about the newest trends in television.”
Sreenivasan said one of the most significant developments in recent years has been the growth of small regional news channels. Although many started with modest resources, which he humorously referred to as “tea shop stations,” several have grown into influential media organizations, demonstrating that innovation and quality journalism can flourish outside the major broadcast networks.
During the discussion with the audience, panelists expressed concern over what they described as the increasing sensationalism in Indian television news, with competing headlines and confrontational debates replacing measured reporting. Chaman and Damodaran contrasted today’s television landscape with the more restrained style of news broadcasting during their years at Doordarshan.
As a token of appreciation, the speakers were presented with rare First Day Covers issued and canceled by the U.S. Postal Service during the First Global Convention of People of Indian Origin, held in New York City in 1989, where GOPIO was founded. The collectible covers featured Mahatma Gandhi stamps and commemorated the Indian diaspora and the historic global gathering.
The event was jointly coordinated by Kerala Center President Alex Esthappan and GOPIO International Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham. Kerala Center Vice President Daisy Stephen delivered the vote of thanks.
