DD Bharati was launched in 26th January 2002, after DD3`s untimely demise, and bore little resemblance to the clubby DD3. Instead, it sought to create niche programmes in areas as diverse as health, children and art and culture, of eight hours each. DD Bharati was the brainwave of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime; it brought its own set of priorities to culture. For example, a prime-time experiment was Sanskrit Bharati, a half-hour exercise in spoken Sanskrit. DD Bharati says it with flowers, as you might have noticed if you have tuned in. There are flowers on the logo and flowers blooming in their corporate ad. In the interim, DD Bharati is determinedly wholesome and hotch potch. One minute some one gets a tutorial on various schools of music or dance, the next somebody is holding forth on the importance of teeth in the human body. If some body wants a rough idea of what to expect, there will be health in the morning (DD style: self-conscious, dressed-up woman sitting by a table lamp and telling you about yoga), programmes for young people from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., art and culture thereafter.
Telecast schedule of DD Bharati
The programmes of DD Bharati include adventure, quiz contests, fine arts/paintings, crafts and designs, cartoons, talent hunts etc.; "MERI BAAT" an hour-long phone-in `live` show with young people; A four-hour segment emphasizing a healthy life style and focusing on prevention rather than cure, both in out traditional and modern forms of medicine; a Classical dance/music performances by top class artists of national and international fame; Programmes on theatre, literature, music, paintings, sculpture & architecture; Programmes in collaboration with organizations like IGNCA, CEC, IGNOU, PSBT, NCERT and Sahitya Academy. The channel also provides extensive coverage to the air Sangeet Sammelans and contributions made by the Regional Doordarshan Kendra`s are regularly telecast live/recorded.
Unfortunately, DD Bharati`s idea of a playful format is filming a Socrates-style conversation between dancer Swapnasundari and her young disciples. Similarly, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) runs two hours of research-oriented programming, exploring ritual and context, oral traditions and so on, in a magazine show called `Kala Tarang`. While both are good ideas, they are far from being compelling watching material. DD Bharati also has to create vibrant programming that can vie for attention with the other 70-odd channels on air.
The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act of 1995 makes it mandatory for cable operators to show three channels of Doordarshan on prime band. The cable operators are bound by law to show Indian DD National, DD Metro and one more channel on this band. Prasar Bharati issued a notification, on Feb 7, 2002, making it mandatory for cable operators in some States to carry DD-Bharati, the new infotainment channel. In the year 2004, DD Bharati was set to launch a gamut of programmes on health, children, art and culture. Featuring in the health band was a health quiz programme, Khilkhilati Zindagi, a show based on the current health news and solutions with medical and health specialists from reputed hospitals. The show premiered on 2 March 2004 at 8.00am.
DD Bharati is working as a Cultural Heritage of India.
