Raghu Rai, a renowned photographer of South Asia, passed away on April 26 in New Delhi after a battle with cancer. He was 83. Rai's unique vision was forged through photojournalism, capturing the evolving political and social conscience of India.
Born in 1942 in Jhang, Rai came from a family marked by Partition. He joined The Statesman in 1966 and later worked with Sunday and India Today, where he shaped the magazine's formative years.
Rai's authority was made print by print in the India Today darkroom, where he dominated the Indian landscape for decades. He was rarely seen in public without a camera, and his photographs often captured leaders like Indira Gandhi in a human scale.
Rai's moral imagination was shaped by his experiences in Bangladesh and Bhopal, where he photographed refugees, hunger, and displacement. He received the Padma Shri for his work in Bangladesh and is widely considered the father of Indian photography.
Rai's legacy is a testament to the power of photography to trouble and reveal the truth. His photographs have entered India's visual consciousness, and his influence can be seen in the work of other photographers.
Rai is survived by his wife, Gurmeet, son Nitin, daughters Lagan, Avani, and Purvai.
