Butchers of Sopore and Birmingham

Nine years of calm before icy storm

Kashmir turns crimson with blood of Pandits

AN UN-ISLAMIC KIDNAPPING AND CHAOS IN THE VALLEY

The illusion of azaadi and Kashmir’s historic deception

How Pak's terror policy evolved in Kashmir

Birth of social media jihadists, death of Article-370

Operation Sindoor: When Indian missiles rained on Pak terror parade

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<p><span ><b>D</b></span>oordarshan was the lode star for Middle India in the late 1980s, a monopoly with a captive audience, bringing India together with mythologicals (<em>Ramayana, Mahabharat</em>) and iconic shows (<em>Buniyaad, Karamchand, Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Nukkad</em> and such). In 1991, along with the opening up of the economy, satellite broadcasting was opened to private players. CNN and Star Plus were early movers, and soon Indian channels like Zee TV, Sun TV, Asianet etc. were beaming into Indian homes. By the end of 1994, 70 million-plus homes in India (an estimated 400 million audience) had TVs and many of them had the luxury of choosing between some 100 channels. No surprises then that the ‘remote’ soon became a coveted piece of equipment at home.</p><div data-embed-button="ckeditor_image" data-entity-embed-display="view_mode:media.image" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="c5ceb8d0-2e66-4d1b-86ef-3fe5aa4ae646" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"><article class="media media--type-ckeditor-image media--view-mode-image">
  
      
            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <div class="itgimage"><amp-img  src="https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/indiatoday/styles/medium_crop_simple/public/2026-01/small-magic-2.jpg?VersionId=UoEHH8XMQ.RFE5LZpw_4XgPyHE4zd9lU&size=750:*&size=750:*" alt = "" height="899" width="770" class="image-style-medium-crop-simple" layout="responsive"></amp-img></div>


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</div><div id="lrcmtcont"></div><div class="end_story">- Ends</div><div class="dottedimg"></div><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Yashwardhan Singh</div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Jan 3, 2026 19:17 IST</div></div></div>

50th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

1985-1995 | TURBULENCE AND TRANSITION | 50th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

1985-1995 | TURBULENCE AND TRANSITION

<p><font color="#c0392b" face="verdana, geneva, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 58px;"><b>D</b></span></font>oordarshan was the lode star for Middle India in the late 1980s, a monopoly with a captive audience, bringing India together with mythologicals (<em>Ramayana, Mahabharat</em>) and iconic shows (<em>Buniyaad, Karamchand, Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi, Nukkad</em> and such). In 1991, along with the opening up of the economy, satellite broadcasting was opened to private players. CNN and Star Plus were early movers, and soon Indian channels like Zee TV, Sun TV, Asianet etc. were beaming into Indian homes. By the end of 1994, 70 million-plus homes in India (an estimated 400 million audience) had TVs and many of them had the luxury of choosing between some 100 channels. No surprises then that the ‘remote’ soon became a coveted piece of equipment at home.</p><div data-embed-button="ckeditor_image" data-entity-embed-display="view_mode:media.image" data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="c5ceb8d0-2e66-4d1b-86ef-3fe5aa4ae646" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"><article class="media media--type-ckeditor-image media--view-mode-image">
  
      
            <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item">  <div class="itgimage"><img  height="899"  title=""  width="770"  class="image-style-medium-crop-simple" alt="" src="https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/indiatoday/styles/medium_crop_simple/public/2026-01/small-magic-2.jpg?VersionId=UoEHH8XMQ.RFE5LZpw_4XgPyHE4zd9lU&size=750:*" loading="lazy" /></div>


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Doordarshan had us glued to the tube in the late '80s with iconic shows and mythologicals. And then there was the great opening up to western pleasures in the '90s...


India Today

Doordarshan had us glued to the tube in the late ’80s with iconic shows and mythologicals. And then there was the great opening up to western pleasures in the ’90s...


Television (1985-1995) | Small magic | 50th Anniversary Special - India Today

Television | Small magic

Two IED explosions struck near the BSF headquarters in Jalandhar and Khasa Military Camp in Amritsar within hours on May 5. The blasts have prompted a statewide alert as investigators examine suspected ISI-linked hybrid terror networks.

NIA team at the blast site in Punjab. 

Pakistan renews proxy war in Punjab? 3 blasts in 10 days raise security concerns

The CBI has uncovered a trafficking network that sent Indians to scam compounds in Southeast Asia. The case points to a wider cyber slavery racket involving coercion, ransom demands and cross-border crime.

CBI busts alleged ‘cyber slavery’ trafficking racket, raids multiple states

A Mumbai sessions court ordered the release of Aniruddha Vijaykumar in a POCSO case after finding lapses in his arrest. The court said the grounds were not conveyed in a language he understood and sought an explanation from the investigating officer.

पुलिस की लापरवाही से POCSO आरोपी को मिली राहत

A Mumbai court freed a POCSO accused, saying a signature on a document not understood by the accused cannot be treated as valid compliance.

Arrest grounds in Marathi lead to release of POCSO accused who didn’t understand it

Police in Dehradun have arrested the dumper driver accused in the hit-and-run death of Lalita Chaudhary's son after a fresh probe. The arrest followed the mother's sustained push for reinvestigation after the case was earlier closed for lack of evidence.

Mother’s two-year pursuit of justice leads to arrest in Dehradun hit-and-run case

Mother’s relentless two-year battle cracks Dehradun hit-and-run case

In a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz, Netanyahu said the strike was ordered to "neutralize" the commander. Israeli media reported that the commander was killed.

Site of an Israeli strike that took place before a temporary ceasefire went into effect, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo: Reuters)

Israel strike, Beirut, Lebanon

Israel bombs Beirut 1st time since ceasefire, says Hezbollah's Radwan chief killed

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TVK chief Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Wednesday to stake claim to form a government.

Vijay meets Governor, stakes claim to form Tamil Nadu government

West Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant was shot dead in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas, amid ongoing post-poll violence in West Bengal.

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Suvendu Adhikari's personal assistant shot dead in Bengal’s Madhyamgram

Actor-politician Vijay got emotional while consoling late Tamil producer RB Choudary’s son Jiiva at his residence in Chennai.

Vijay gets emotional while consoling Jiiva at RB Choudary’s home. Video

Vijay gets emotional while consoling Jiiva

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to attend TVK chief Vijay's upcoming swearing-in ceremony. This move could result in the national party securing a cabinet position in the state government after several decades.

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Television | Small magic

Doordarshan had us glued to the tube in the late '80s with iconic shows and mythologicals. And then there was the great opening up to western pleasures in the '90s...

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