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

<p>She ran the world&#39;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.</p><p>Vijayalaxmi Chhabra spent 35 years at All India Radio and Doordarshan, rising to Director General at a time when institutions like these weren&#39;t built for women like her. In this conversation, she talks about the career she chose when girls didn&#39;t choose this, the mid-career pivot that raised every eyebrow in the room, and the grit it took to make the &quot;Pepsi Cup brought to you by Coca-Cola&quot; moment actually happen.</p><p>But this episode isn&#39;t just about a remarkable career. It&#39;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.</p><p>This one stays with you.</p><p>The AboutHer Show is ranked in the Top 3 Indian Women&#39;s Leadership Podcasts on Feedspot 2026.</p><p><strong>For more detailed insights, read the full article on our website:</strong> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠<a href="https://aboutherbysangeeta.com/vijayalaxmi-chhabra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://aboutherbysangeeta.com/vijayalaxmi-chhabra/</a></p><p><strong>Chapters:</strong></p><p>🎙️ (0:00) - Welcome to the Room — Meet the woman who ran the world&#39;s largest public broadcaster</p><p>🌱 (3:16) - The Girl Who Chose Differently — A career that wasn&#39;t on the list for women of her time</p><p>👣 (16:56) - She Walked the Path Anyway — What it took to move forward when no one had gone before</p><p>🏛️ (20:41) - Built for Someone Else — Navigating an institution that wasn&#39;t designed with her in mind</p><p>⚡ (27:36) - The Pivot — The bold mid-career shift that changed everything</p><p>🚪 (39:21) - Dismantled — Taking apart a system that said this wasn&#39;t her territory</p><p>🥤 (51:32) - Pepsi Cup, Coca-Cola — The story behind one of Indian broadcasting&#39;s most audacious moments</p><p>🤝 (57:38) - The Real Negotiation — What was actually at stake, and what she was really fighting for</p><p>👁️ (60:25) - How Visible Were You Allowed to Be? — The question every woman in power knows too well</p><p>⚖️ (62:05) - The Cost — Trade-offs she made, and what she&#39;d tell herself now</p><p>📱 (65:32) - Reinvention — How she took to Instagram and built an entirely new world</p><p>🧵(72:10) - Passing It Forward — Sarees, stories, and what she wants younger women to carry</p><p>💫 (78:06) - To the Young Wo