S4E160: Vijayalaxmi Chhabra — The Woman Who Led Doordarshan and Refused to Disappear

She ran the world’s largest public broadcaster. She dismantled a system built on middlemen. She navigated a Cola war live on air. And then she retired — and started over on Instagram.

Vijayalaxmi Chhabra spent 35 years at All India Radio and Doordarshan, rising to Director General at a time when institutions like these weren’t built for women like her. In this conversation, she talks about the career she chose when girls didn’t choose this, the mid-career pivot that raised every eyebrow in the room, and the grit it took to make the “Pepsi Cup brought to you by Coca-Cola” moment actually happen.

But this episode isn’t just about a remarkable career. It’s about visibility — who gets it, who fights for it, and what it means to claim it on your own terms at every stage of life.

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