Raghu Rai
Encyclopedia
Raghu Rai is an India
n photographer and photojournalist. A protege of Henri Cartier-Bresson
who appointed Rai, then a young photojournalist to Magnum Photos
in 1977, which he co-founded.
Rai became a photographer in 1965, and a year later joined the staff of The Statesman
, a New Delhi
publication
. In 1976, he left the paper and became a freelance photographer. From 1982 up until 1992, Rai was the director of photography for India Today
. He has served on the jury for World Press Photo
from 1990 to 1997. He is most known for his books, Raghu Rai's India: Reflections in Colour and Reflections in Black and White.
, Punjab, British India (now in Pakistan
).
nominated Rai to join Magnum Photos
in 1977.
Rai left "Sunday" in 1980 and worked as Picture Editor/Visualizer/Photographer of "India Today
", India’s leading news magazine, during its formative years. From 1982 to 1991, he worked on special issues and designs, contributing trailblazing picture essays on social, political and cultural themes, many of which became the talking point of the magazine.
Rai has specialized in extensive coverage of India. He has produced more than 18 books, including Raghu Rai’s Delhi, The Sikhs, Calcutta, Khajuraho, Taj Mahal, Tibet in Exile, India, and Mother Teresa. His photo essays have appeared in many of the world’s leading magazines and newspapers including Time
, Life
, GEO
, The New York Times
, Sunday Times, Newsweek
, The Independent
, and the New Yorker
.
For Greenpeace
, he has completed an in-depth documentary project on the chemical disaster at Bhopal in 1984, which he covered as a journalist with India Today in 1984, and on its ongoing effects on the lives of gas victims. This work resulted in a book, Exposure: A Corporate Crime and three exhibitions that toured Europe, America, India and southeast Asia after 2004, the 20th anniversary of the disaster. Rai wanted the exhibition to support the many survivors through creating greater awareness, both about the tragedy, and about the victims – many who are still uncompensated – who continue to live in the contaminated environment around Bhopal.
He has served three times on the jury of the World Press Photo and twice on the jury of UNESCO's International Photo Contest.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n photographer and photojournalist. A protege of Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. He was an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography...
who appointed Rai, then a young photojournalist to Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
in 1977, which he co-founded.
Rai became a photographer in 1965, and a year later joined the staff of The Statesman
The Statesman
The Statesman is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper founded in 1875 and published simultaneously in Kolkata, New Delhi, Siliguri and Bhubaneswar. The Statesman is owned by The Statesman Ltd., its headquarters at Statesman House, Chowringhee Square, Calcutta and its national...
, a New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
publication
Publication
To publish is to make content available to the public. While specific use of the term may vary among countries, it is usually applied to text, images, or other audio-visual content on any medium, including paper or electronic publishing forms such as websites, e-books, Compact Discs and MP3s...
. In 1976, he left the paper and became a freelance photographer. From 1982 up until 1992, Rai was the director of photography for India Today
India Today
India Today is an Indian weekly news magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1975 based in Mumbai. India Today is also the name of its sister-publication in Hindi...
. He has served on the jury for World Press Photo
World Press Photo
World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organization is known for holding the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest....
from 1990 to 1997. He is most known for his books, Raghu Rai's India: Reflections in Colour and Reflections in Black and White.
Early life
Raghu Rai was born in the small village of JhangJhang
- Demographics :According to 1981 census of Pakistan population of Jhang was 1,970,944 with the 434,495 housing units in Jhang. In 1998 census, population of Jhang was 2,834,545, whose annually growth rate was 2.16%. Male population was 1,474,099 and female population was 1,360,446...
, Punjab, British India (now in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
).
Career
Raghu Rai took up photography in 1965, and the following year joined "The Statesman" newspaper as its chief photographer. Rai left "The Statesman" in 1976 to work as picture editor for "Sunday," a weekly news magazine published in Calcutta. Impressed by an exhibit of his work in Paris in 1971, Henri Cartier-BressonHenri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French photographer considered to be the father of modern photojournalism. He was an early adopter of 35 mm format, and the master of candid photography...
nominated Rai to join Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
in 1977.
Rai left "Sunday" in 1980 and worked as Picture Editor/Visualizer/Photographer of "India Today
India Today
India Today is an Indian weekly news magazine published by Living Media India Limited, in publication since 1975 based in Mumbai. India Today is also the name of its sister-publication in Hindi...
", India’s leading news magazine, during its formative years. From 1982 to 1991, he worked on special issues and designs, contributing trailblazing picture essays on social, political and cultural themes, many of which became the talking point of the magazine.
Rai has specialized in extensive coverage of India. He has produced more than 18 books, including Raghu Rai’s Delhi, The Sikhs, Calcutta, Khajuraho, Taj Mahal, Tibet in Exile, India, and Mother Teresa. His photo essays have appeared in many of the world’s leading magazines and newspapers including Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, GEO
GEO (magazine)
GEO is a family of educational monthly magazines similar to the National Geographic magazine. It is known for its profound reports, which are accompanied by opulent pictures.The first edition appeared in Germany in 1976...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Sunday Times, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, and the New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
.
For Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
, he has completed an in-depth documentary project on the chemical disaster at Bhopal in 1984, which he covered as a journalist with India Today in 1984, and on its ongoing effects on the lives of gas victims. This work resulted in a book, Exposure: A Corporate Crime and three exhibitions that toured Europe, America, India and southeast Asia after 2004, the 20th anniversary of the disaster. Rai wanted the exhibition to support the many survivors through creating greater awareness, both about the tragedy, and about the victims – many who are still uncompensated – who continue to live in the contaminated environment around Bhopal.
He has served three times on the jury of the World Press Photo and twice on the jury of UNESCO's International Photo Contest.
Personal life
Raghu Rai lives in Delhi with his wife Gurmeet Rai and daughters, Avani and Purvai and continues to be an associate of Magnum Photos.Awards
- Padmashree’ in 1972
- National Geographic cover story “Human Management of Wildlife in India” won him widespread critical acclaim for the piece. (1992)
- Photographer of the Year from USA (1992)
Exhibitions
- 2007 Les Rencontres d'Arles festival, France.
- 2005 India - Musei Capitolini Centrale Montemartini, Rome, Italy
- 2005 Bhopal 1984–2004 - Melkweg Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 2004 Exposure - Drik Gallery, Dhaka, Bangladesh; Leica Gallery,Prague, Czech Republic
- 2003 Exposure: Portrait of a Corporate Crime - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
- 2003 Bhopal - Sala Consiliare, Venice, Italy; Photographic Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
- 2002 Volkart Foundation, Winterthur, Switzerland
- 2002 Raghu Rai’s India - A Retrospective – Photofusion, London, UK
- 1997 Retrospective - National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi, India
Books
- 2011 The Indians: Portraits From My Album, Penguin Books. ISBN 9780670084692.
- 2010 India's Great Masters: A Photographic Journey into the Heart of Classical Music
- 2005 Mother Theresa: A Life of Dedication, Harry N. Abrams, USA
- 2005 Romance of India, Timeless Books, India
- 2004 Indira GandhiIndira GandhiIndira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
: A Living Legacy, Timeless Books, India - 2004 Exposure: Portrait Of A Corporate Crime, Greenpeace, Netherlands
- 2003/04 Saint Mother: A Life Dedicated, Timeless Books, India;Mère Teresa), La Martinière, France
- 2002 Bhopal Gas Tragedy (with Suroopa Mukherjee), Tulika Publishers, India
- 2001 Raghu Rai's India - A Retrospective, Asahi Shimbun, Japan
- 2000 LakshadweepLakshadweepLakshadweep , formerly known as the Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands, is a group of islands in the Laccadive Sea, 200 to 440 km off the coast of the South West Indian state of Kerala...
, UT of Lakshadweep, India - 2000 Raghu Rai... in his Own Words, Roli Books, India
- 1998 Man, Metal and Steel, Steel Authority of India, Ltd., India
- 1997 My Land and Its People, Vadehra Gallery, India
- 1996 Faith and Compassion: The Life and Work or Mother Teresa, Element Books, USA
- 1996/01 Dreams of India, Times Editions, Singapore/Greenwich, UK
- 1994 Raghu Rai's Delhi, Indus/Harper Collins, India
- 1991 KhajurahoKhajurahoThe Khajuraho Group of Monuments in Khajuraho , a town in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District, about southeast of New Delhi, are one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Khajuraho has the largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous for...
, Time Books International, India - 1990/91 Tibet in Esilio, Mondadori, Italy; (Tibet in Exile), Chronicle Books, USA
- 1990 DelhiDelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and AgraAgraAgra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
(with Lai Kwok Kin and Nitin Rai), Hunter Publications, Inc., USA - 1989 Calcutta, Time Books International, India
- 1988 Dreams of India, Time Books International, Singapore; (L'Inde), Arthaud, France
- 1986/87 Taj Mahal, Times Editions, Singapore; Robert Laffont, France; Rizzoli Publications, USA
- 1985 Indira Gandhi (with Pupul JayakarPupul JayakarPupul Jayakar was an Indian cultural activist and writer, most known for her work towards the revival of traditional and village arts, handlooms and handicrafts in post-independence India, as well as organizing a series of Indian arts festivals in the 1980s in France, US and Japan that are...
), Lustre Press, India - 1984 The Sikhs, Lustre Press, India
- 1983 Delhi: A Portrait, Delhi Tourist Development Corporation/Oxford University Press, India/UK
- 1974 A Day in the life of Indira Gandhi, Nachiketa Publications, India
Quotations
- "Either you capture the mystery of things or you reveal the mystery. Everything else is just information."
External links
- Raghu Rai at Magnum PhotosMagnum PhotosMagnum Photos is an international photographic cooperative owned by its photographer-members, with offices located in New York, Paris, London and Tokyo...
- Rai's feature about Mumbai on Magnum