Raghu Rai, who photographed Bangladesh Liberation War, dies at 83
Rai’s path to photography was serendipitous. Trained initially as a civil engineer, he discovered the medium in the 1960s through his brother, S Paul
Raghu Rai, the legendary Indian photographer who documented the Bangladesh Liberation War and was often described as the man who "photographed India's soul," died in New Delhi on 26 April, at the age of 83.
Over a career spanning more than five decades, he became one of the most prolific visual chroniclers of contemporary India, documenting both defining historical moments and the quiet rhythms of everyday life.
Rai's path to photography was serendipitous. Trained initially as a civil engineer, he discovered the medium in the 1960s through his brother, S Paul.
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His career took off after a photograph of a donkey in a Haryana village was published in The Times of London, setting him on a course that would reshape visual storytelling in India, reports the Deccan Chronicle.
He went on to document some of the most consequential events in the nation's history, including the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, and The Emergency, during which he employed symbolic imagery to circumvent censorship. Among his notable works were photographs of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale taken shortly before Operation Blue Star.
Rai gained international recognition in 1977 when he became the first Indian photographer invited to join Magnum Photos, nominated by the legendary Henri Cartier-Bresson. He had earlier been awarded the Padma Shri in 1972 for his contributions to the arts.
Beyond news photography, Rai created a vast body of artistic work, including evocative portraits of figures such as Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and the Dalai Lama. His numerous books documented the spirit of places like Delhi, Tibet, and the ghats of the Ganga, reflecting a deep engagement with culture, spirituality, and human experience.
Rai described himself as an "explorer of life," believing that photojournalism was the "first evidence" of history as it unfolded—an art that went beyond information to capture raw human emotion. His images, both intimate and monumental, leave behind a lasting record of a nation and its people.
