Journalist Pradeep Bhide, known as the face of Marathi Doordarshan, died on Tuesday after a long battle with brain cancer. The newscaster breathed his last at the age of 68. The last rites of the veteran newsreader were performed in the presence of his family and colleagues at the Andheri Crematorium on Tuesday evening.
Pradeep was one of the first people to work with the Mumbai Doordarshan Kendra. The channel was launched in 1972 and he was one of the members of the launching committee. In the initial years, he worked in the news translation department but due to his trademark voice and screen presence, he was tasked with presenting news soon.
If someone has listened to the news by Pradeep, they must be aware of her signature line, ‘Namaskar, Aajcha Thalak Batmya’. The greeting became a household sound. He worked with the channel and covered major news events.
Recalling the spirit and passion of Pradeep Bhide, DD Sahyadri’s news editor Radhika Aghor told The Times of India, “Pradeep Bhide made the name in the field of theatre first. His career spanned 40 years during which he did around 5,000 ads, Film division documentaries, and interviews with luminaries from Balasaheb Thackeray to Babasaheb Purandare. He also set up his own communications firm and worked with a private news channel.”
Another colleague praised the newsreader and told PTI, “Bhide’s dignified voice, clear pronunciation and a pleasant personality remained unchanged during his 35-year-long career as a newsreader.”
While the renowned newsreader has left the world, he’ll always be remembered as one of the most dignified news personalities of Doordarshan. He was an inspiration to many aspiring journalists.
