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Pratima Puri Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 1, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

AgeNot Known

BirthplaceLalpani, Shimla

ProfessionJournalist

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

FamilySon - Raja Puri

Pratima Puri Biography

Pratima Puri (born Vidya Rawat) was an Indian journalist and a pioneering television newsreader. She began her broadcasting career at All India Radio in ̶

Early life and background

Pratima Puri was born Vidya Rawat in Lalpani, Shimla, into a Gorkha family. She completed her college education at Indraprastha College for Women in Delhi, where she graduated before beginning a career in broadcasting. Details about her date of birth are not provided in the available information.

Career

Pratima Puri launched her professional life in radio, joining All India Radio in Shimla in 1958. Her work at AIR led to a move to television in the mid-1960s when Doordarshan was establishing its presence.

In September 1965 she moved to Delhi to join Doordarshan and became one of the service’s earliest newsreaders. She is credited as the first female journalist to work at Doordarshan and served as the reader of the broadcaster’s inaugural five-minute news bulletin. During her tenure she conducted significant interviews, including one with Yuri Gagarin, the first human to travel into space.

Over time Puri took on a mentoring role at Doordarshan, guiding new probationer newsreaders as they joined the service. Her presence at the network in its formative years made her a visible figure and a reference point for women entering journalism.

Public profile

Pratima Puri’s contributions are remembered within the history of Indian broadcasting. She was associated with two major public broadcasters: All India Radio in Shimla and Doordarshan in Delhi. Her pioneering status as a female television newsreader at Doordarshan is frequently highlighted in accounts of the era.

Later life and death

Public records indicate that Pratima Puri passed away on 29 July 2007. She was married and had one son, named Raja Puri. Further personal details, including her spouse’s name and her exact age at death, are not supplied in the available material.

Latest updates

Pratima Puri’s on-screen persona has appeared in contemporary culture: a character portraying her is shown in the 2022 television series Rocket Boys. Her memory continues through such references and through the role she played in shaping early television news presentation in India.
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Recent Work

Doordarshan newsreader and mentor

Joined Doordarshan in September 1965; read the first five-minute news bulletin and later mentored probationer readers.

1965
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Career Highlights

  1. Joined All India Radio, Shimla in 1958
  2. Became the first female journalist at Doordarshan and read its first five-minute bulletin
  3. Interviewed Yuri Gagarin
  4. Mentored new probationer readers at Doordarshan
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pratima Puri known for?

Journalist

What is Pratima Puri’s marital status?

Married