NEW DELHI. Veteran photographer Raghu Rai died today after a two-year-long battle with cancer. He was 83. Born on December 18, 1942, in Jhang (now in Pakistan), Rai became one of the most respected photographers not just in India, but across the world. Rai’s photography is often described as a “visual record” of modern India.
He captured powerful images after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, one of the worst industrial disasters in history. He received the Padma Shri in 1972 for his powerful photography during the Bangladesh Liberation War. In 1992, he was named “Photographer of the Year” in the US. In 2019, he won the Académie des Beaux-Arts Photography Award, one of the top international honours in photography. He was also given a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief at the demise of veteran photographer Raghu Rai. In a social media post, Mr Modi said, Raghu Rai will be remembered as a creative stalwart who captured India’s vibrancy through his lens. The Prime Minister said, his photography had extraordinary sensitivity, depth, and diversity, which brought people closer to different aspects of life in India. Mr Modi said, Raghu Rai’s demise is an irreparable loss to the world of photography and culture. He expressed condolences to his family, admirers and the photography fraternity in this hour of grief.
