Raghu Rai, patriarch of Indian photojournalism, passes away

NEW DELHI: Indian photojournalism pioneer and Padma Shri awardee Raghu Rai (83) passed away on Sunday. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer for the past two years. Rai passed away on Sunday morning at a private hospital in Delhi.

Rai was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago. Although he was cured after treatment, the cancer spread to his stomach. The situation worsened when the cancer also affected his brain during treatment. He was also suffering from age-related ailments.

Rai’s stunning oeuvre includes images that made the world look into India. His photo series "Burial of an Unknown Child", which brought the horror of the 1984 Bhopal disaster to the world, gained international attention. Images of Mother Teresa, Indira Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, and Satyajit Ray captured by Raghu Rai still sit atop the list in international magazines.

Rai began his stint in photography in 1965. A year later, he joined The Statesman, a New Delhi publication. He worked for India Today from 1982 to 1992. He was appointed as a jury member of the World Press Photo Competition three times. Rai was honoured by the nation with the Padma Shri in 1971. Rai's photo series has appeared in leading magazines such as Time, Life, Geo, The New York Times and Newsweek. In 1971, world-renowned photographer Henry Cartier Bresson nominated Rai for Magnum Photos, an international association of photographers.