27042026-LSTC-01.qxd 4/27/2026 12:50 AM Page 1 c m y b MY FRIEND, MY MENTOR “So very sad to hear about the passing of my friend and mentor, Raghu Rai. Raghu was not just the greatest Indian photographer of his generation, he was the most beloved, generous & wonderful man. His book on Delhi was the first book I ever bought about the city... Om Shanti.... he will be much, much missed.” — William Dalrymple TRIBUNE End of an era Life Renowned photographer Atul Kasbekar described Rai as "quite simply, the greatest to ever hold a camera from our country," adding that his passing marks the "end of an era." CHANDIGARH | MONDAY | 27 APRIL 2026 Legendary photographer Raghu Rai, India’s most influential visual storyteller, passes away at 83; marks the end of an era in photojournalism Goodbye, legend! Sondeep Shankar R AGHU RAI was born in a small village in Jhang, now in Pakistan. He began his journey with photography in 1965, quickly mastering the depth of the medium. By 1966, he had joined The Statesman as its chief photographer. His coverage of the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 established him as a master of the craft, using the camera not merely to record events, but to document life itself. Our paths first crossed in 1972, when he judged a photography competition at St Stephen’s College. He offered me a mantra that would define my career — “Recording events around your life with a camera.” Following his lead, I sought and received his permission to study his work in his office, spending hours with his negatives and prints. As a mentor, Raghu was a demanding taskmaster. He frequently critiqued my early work with brutal honesty until the day he finally accepted a series of my photographs with open arms. That marked the true beginning of our journey together. He welcomed me into his darkroom and invited me to shoot alongside him. Beyond the lens, Raghu was a warm-hearted individual with a deep passion for music and the arts. He often maintained that photographers should function as impartial observers and witnesses. This philosophy is evident in his Bangladesh series, which captured human suffering with immense sensitivity, poise, and composition. For his monumental contributions, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government. In the early 1970s, Raghu took his Bangladesh exhibition to Paris. It was there that Henri Cartier-Bresson viewed his work and subsequently nominated him to join Magnum Photos. By 1981, Raghu joined India Today, Father figure Raghu Rai was without any doubt one of the greatest of the photographers in the entire history of photography and I am saying so with a great sense of humility and responsibility after having known him for 40 years and seen a whole spectrum of images produced by the greatest of lensmen around the world. He was a committed humanist, lover of nature, people and places. India lived in his heart and the dedication and passion with which he wielded his camera for more than 60 years is unparalleled in the contemporary history of Independent India. India has lost one of its greatest sons, an icon, a legend in the true sense of the word. He was not only a dear friend but also a guru, mentor and father figure to me. Diwan Manna, Photography-based conceptual artist where he worked on special issues and trailblazing picture essays. His visual narratives on social, political, and cultural themes frequently became the defining features of the magazine. Raghu also dedicated himself to an in-depth documentary project for Greenpeace regarding the 1984 Bhopal chemical disaster. This work, which highlighted the ongoing struggles of the victims and the lack of compensation, resulted in a book and international touring exhibitions. He remained a vocal advocate for the survivors, using his platform to create global awareness about the tragedy and the contaminated environment. His 1992 National Geographic cover story, titled Human Management of Wildlife in India, earned him further critical acclaim. Throughout his career, Raghu’s work was exhibited in major cultural hubs, including London, Paris, New York, Tokyo, and Zurich. His photo essays were featured in the world’s leading publications, such as Time, Life, The New York Times, and The New Yorker. In 2019, the Lucie Foundation in New York honoured him as the Master of Photojournalism. He was also the first recipient of the Academy of Fine Arts Photography Award – William Klein, a consecration award celebrating his entire career and his singular contribution to the world of photography. RAGHU RAI (1942–2026) Thinking from the heart “Main jisey odhta bichhaata hoon; Voh ghazal aap ko sunaata hoon” (I recite for you the ghazal, which I experience through the whispers of my soul), wrote the well-known poet Dushyant Kumar. R AGHU RAI is one such consummate practitioner of the art of photography that it has become a constant part of his thinking, sleeping, breathing, and living. It is his prayer, his muse, and his religion. People, who know him, will confirm that he continues to think from his heart. Raghu Rai that I know is impressively calm, clearheaded, connected and a serene soul. His vision and unquenchable curiosity is like the depths of the ocean and the vastness of the space. In spite of a tall frame and a towering persona, he has this gift of making himself invisible. One could also say that he is able to make himself a part of his immediate surroundings. His agility to shuffle from one spot to another with a supple and quick movement and to mingle with crowds while tak- ing pictures is legendary. He does not only document or record, his photographs provide us with an indelible imprint of a slice of history – be it social, political, cultural, religious, human interest or all of these and much more. c m y b He identifies himself with the viewers by providing a simple framework of the visual vocabulary, grammar and codes that cater to their aesthetic, emotional and psychological needs. His dialogue with the viewer is immediate and direct. At the outset, the photographs look simple. It is the masterly control over the craft that makes it look ordinary. It is in this ordinariness that one discovers the deeper and subtler nuances of different shades of human thought and behaviour. Complex life situations become intelligible. Thus, he begins an invisible and silent dialogue with his audience and provides a fresh perspective to the life around us. If he were not a photographer, Raghu Rai would have loved to be a musician. In his photographs, the rhythm of life is rendered in such a lyrical manner that one can almost hear a symphony and imagine a cosmic dance. Human beings, dogs, cows, goats, pigeons, crows, clouds, branches of trees, all seem to sway with the Anahad music. (This text was written by Diwan Manna in March 2011, when he was serving as the head of the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi. It was composed as an introduction to Raghu Rai’s slide show, The Journey of a Moment in Time, and was later published in the exhibition’s catalogue.) His vision will live on… The passing of Raghu Rai ji feels like a gentle dimming of a timeless light—one that didn’t just illuminate the frames, but shaped the very way we learnt to see the world. Through his work, we learnt that photography is not just about capturing images, it is about making a connection, and about feeling a moment. Today, while we feel this loss deeply, I believe his vision will always stay with us. Every time we pick up the camera, somewhere his way of seeing will guide us—to be honest, to be sensitive, and to create with feelings. He may not be with us physically, but his presence will always remain in the way we see and understand photography. Gurdeep Dhiman, President, Punjab Lalit Kala Akademi