Raghu Rai Dies At 83, Leaves Behind Six Decades Of Visual Storytelling
NEW DELHI-Celebrated photographer Raghu Rai, widely regarded as a pioneer of photojournalism in the country, passed away on April 26 at the age of 83 after battling cancer for over two years.
Rai was cremated at the Lodhi Road cremation ground in New Delhi later in the evening.
Over a career spanning more than six decades, Rai documented India’s social, political and cultural landscape with rare depth and sensitivity. His work captured a wide spectrum of subjects — from political leaders such as former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and leading figures in classical music, to ordinary people and everyday life across the country.
Known for his human-centric approach, Rai consistently focused on the lived realities of the common man, often travelling extensively through rural India and small towns to tell stories that went beyond urban and elite narratives.
Speaking at an ongoing exhibition of his work in New Delhi, titled ‘Raghu Rai – A Thousand Lives: Photographs from 1965-2005’, he had reflected on his philosophy: “When I was a photojournalist, I would always say, why are we in Delhi and serving the big shots by taking their pictures? It is important to go to rural India and small towns and cover their stories. Maybe that will force the politicians to take note of them. Remember, the common man is the only thread of continuity. Politicians and industrialists come and go but the man on the street never vanishes. Precisely why my focus has always been on street photography.”
Rai, a Padma Shri awardee, was mentored by legendary French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, who nominated him to join the prestigious Magnum Photos agency in 1977.
Describing his own approach to the craft, Rai had said, “I am not a professional photographer, but an explorer who delves into daily lives and streets.”
His body of work remains a powerful visual archive of India’s evolving identity, marked by a distinctive blend of technical mastery and deep human empathy. (IANS)
