Raghu Rai, India's iconic photographer, dies at 83
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New Delhi: Raghu Rai, one of India's most celebrated photographers whose images chronicled the nation's triumphs and tragedies over seven decades, died in a private hospital here early on Sunday. He was 83.
Rai's son, photographer Nitin Rai, told PTI that his father had battled prostate cancer diagnosed two years ago, which spread to his stomach and later his brain, compounded by age-related issues.
A civil engineer by training, Rai stumbled into photography in the 1960s during a visit to his brother S Paul in Delhi. His breakthrough came with an early shot of a donkey staring into the lens, published in The Times of London, igniting a career that captured defining moments: the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the Bhopal gas tragedy, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale before Operation Blue Star, and the Emergency—where he outwitted censors with ingenuity.
A Padma Shri recipient in 1972, Rai joined Magnum Photos in 1977 as the first Indian, nominated by Henri Cartier-Bresson, whose humanist style shaped his vision. From Old Delhi's bustling streets to portraits of Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and the Dalai Lama, his vast oeuvre fills numerous books. "I became an explorer of life," he once reflected.
He is survived by wife Gurmeet, son Nitin, and daughters Lagan, Avani, and Purvai. Last rites will be at Lodhi Crematorium at 4 pm today.