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Madhukar Thote passes away at 93
Thote was posted as the engineer-in-charge of Doordarshan, Delhi, in 1980 when the broadcasting was in black and white. He then worked on colour transmission technology
Madhukar Yadav Thote, who played a crucial role in bringing the colour TV transmission to India, passed away, family members said on Wednesday.
Thote (93) died in Pune on December 28 due to old age.
He was posted as the engineer-in-charge of Doordarshan, Delhi, in 1980 when the broadcasting was in black and white. He then worked on colour transmission technology.
After two years of research, experiments and trials, the era of colour TV transmission started in 1982 in India with technical support offered by a team led by Thote.
The first official colour transmission was of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, 1982.
Apart from the major contribution, Thote was instrumental in setting up transmission centres for All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan across the country.
He was on deputation to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) from 1976 to 1978.
He worked with the United Nations as a project director in Africa in 1979 for the establishment of a telecommunication institute.
After retiring as a chief engineer of Doordarshan and AIR in 1988, Thote was associated with the Savitribai Phule Pune University for 22 years as head of the department for communication studies, and director of the Educational Multimedia Research Centre (EMMRC).
He also served as the chairman of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication (IETE), Pune Chapter.
Thote is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Thote is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
