Photographer Raghu Rai dies at 83
As a photojournalist, Rai captured several key events in post-Independence India.
Photographer Raghu Rai has died, his family said on Sunday. He was 83.
Considered a protégé of French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, Rai became a photographer in the 1960s and worked for The Statesman in Delhi and India Today magazine before freelancing.
He was on the jury for the World Press Photo contest between 1990 and 1997.
Rai published more than a dozen photo books: on the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa, the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, the Taj Mahal and Bangladesh.
In 1972, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour.
In pictures:
- Thirty years later, photographer Raghu Rai returns to site of his iconic Bhopal images
- Capturing the moments of a movement: Raghu Rai’s chronicle of JP and the Bihar students agitation
- Raghu Rai’s five-decade career captures the essence of India
- ‘I can never be true to my experiences without a camera’: Raghu Rai
Rest in peace to the greatest documentary photographer out of the subcontinent Raghu Rai. Just a beautiful way of seeing https://t.co/8SaGhHlBUU pic.twitter.com/8PrfMdvrvC
— yogi (@DJpastawater) April 25, 2026
Masses are other people.
— Andrea Alba (@blanc_alba) May 9, 2025
-Raymond Williams
Raghu Rai 2010 (Mumbai-Where Dreams Don’t Die) pic.twitter.com/saJc9njpP7
Mother Teresa descending the stairs, photographed by Raghu Rai, Kolkata, India, 1970.#MotherTeresa #RaghuRai #Calcutta1970 #Photography #HumanitarianLegacy #TimelessMoments #IconicImages #CompassionInAction #HistoricalPortraits #FaithAndService pic.twitter.com/GmkUQbgS9B
— JF AGER. 🇫🇷 & 🇺🇸 United by shared values. (@jager1108) May 5, 2025
Kashti-e-ziist khe rahe haiñ "Atash",
— Munaf (@Munaf_Ali) April 25, 2026
Bahr kaar-e-muhaal meiñ gum haiñ #KhwajaReazuddin_Atash
P. C : Raghu Rai pic.twitter.com/ExKJdMArmJ
Classical artists photographed by the great Raghu Rai pic.twitter.com/xSuscie219
— Love of Cinema (@loveofcinemasf8) April 26, 2026
Inside the Shantinath Jain Temple, 1986, Photograph by Raghu Rai. pic.twitter.com/qCqWupTOpn
— Yadu (@Yaduvam) April 25, 2026
Raghu Rai’s extraordinary images of the 1971 Bangladesh crisis are featured in today's Chartbook Top Link. Sign up to learn more about the photos and subscribe to Chartbook: https://t.co/V31UlvZ23U pic.twitter.com/DoULBuHvf3
— Adam Tooze (@adam_tooze) December 30, 2024
Fishermen at night near the Taj Mahal, India, 1985
— Remnants of the Past (@remnantsofpast) April 20, 2026
Photo by Raghu Rai pic.twitter.com/Fwk5FCxUiV
The lens of Raghu Rai doesn’t just take photos; it captures the weight of history. 📸
— SILENT BRIEF (@SilentBriefHQ) April 19, 2026
1971: Lt. Col. K. S. Pannu stands at the threshold of victory, demanding the surrender of enemy forces. One of the most powerful frames from the Bangladesh Liberation War. pic.twitter.com/lAuk6fnojL
Republic Day
— 𖤓 (@Vigraharaja) April 3, 2026
Raghu Rai, 1998 pic.twitter.com/7cgXgyLVyV
Family scene behind the Taj Mahal. Agra, India, 1985 | Raghu Rai pic.twitter.com/CRlNSnhlB4
— Eye On Axis (@eyeonaxis) March 18, 2026
Diving into Ugrasen Baoili, Delhi, 1971 • Raghu Rai • pic.twitter.com/PpBZG6OYvF
— 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌 (@LKpaddy) August 5, 2025
📸 Raghu Rai pic.twitter.com/F02YoBr7IV
— Fabio (@Solitudinario) July 16, 2025
