Raghu Rai, the renowned Indian photographer known for capturing his country's post-independence history through singular, enduring images, has died at age 83 from cancer. Rai's career spanned six decades, during which he documented events from the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster to the Bangladesh war of independence, and photographed figures including Indira Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and the Dalai Lama. He joined Magnum Photos in 1977 after being invited by Henri Cartier-Bresson, and worked as a staff photographer for the Statesman and as picture editor for India Today.
Rai's death marks the loss of a photographer who brought a distinctly Indian perspective to documenting his homeland, resisting outsider clichés and emphasizing the multilayered experience of India's diverse landscape and culture. His work, published in over 50 books and international media, helped shape global visual understanding of India's political upheavals, religious rituals, and everyday life. As a Magnum member and recipient of the Padma Shri, Rai's legacy endures through his iconic images that distilled complex realities into coherent, lasting compositions.