Rajni Kaul, BBC's First Hindi Newsreader, Dies At 93

Rajni Kaul, Indian media personality known for being the first broadcaster to have read the BBC's Hindi bulletin, has passed away in New Delhi, reports confirmed Wednesday. She was 93 and is survived by her daughter.

Though famous for her association with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), for whose Hindi department she was a pioneering force not just as a newsreader but also as their first staffer around six decades ago, Kaul had a vibrant career with stints at several other leading broadcast houses, both national and international.

She lent her voice to All India Radio (AIR) in Delhi, India and thereafter to the Voice of America (VOA) in Washington, United States.

Woman Behind The Voice: Remembering Rajni Kaul

Born in Peshawar in undivided India, Kaul spent a large part of her life abroad. She was posted with the BBC in London, where she lived with her family.

She was married to renowned fellow broadcaster Mahendra Nath Kaul, who presented news on television for BBC's Asia unit in the United Kingdom. Apna Hi Ghar Samajhiye and Nai Zindagi Naya Jeevan were two of his most famous programmes. The Kauls had a daughter together, Kalyani, who is currently practicing as a Circuit Judge in London as per her social profiles.

After the death of her husband in 2018, Kaul made visits to Kashmir, the place of his birth, as a patron of literature and the arts in his memory.

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