Raghu Rai, the pioneering Indian photographer and photojournalist, has died at age 84. Over his career, he produced more than 30 books covering subjects such as Tibetan exile, Mother Teresa, Indira Gandhi, and Sikhs in India. His most famous work documented the 1984 Bhopal chemical disaster, first for India Today and later for Greenpeace, resulting in the book *Exposure: A Corporate Crime* and exhibitions that toured Europe, the US, and Bangladesh. Rai began his career at The Statesman in 1966, joined India Today in 1982, and became a member of Magnum Photos in 1977 under the patronage of Henri Cartier-Bresson. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972 for his coverage of the 1971 India-Pakistan War and the plight of Bangladeshi refugees.
Rai’s death marks the loss of a foundational figure in Indian photojournalism whose work brought global attention to critical social and political issues. His haunting images of the Bhopal disaster remain among the most powerful visual records of industrial negligence, and his long career helped elevate photography as a serious documentary medium in India. His legacy underscores the enduring power of photojournalism to bear witness and drive awareness of human suffering and resilience.