AboutRaghu Rai, amongst the very best in photo-journalism, passed away a few days ago at the age of 83. If you don’t know who he is is or what he is famous for, do yourself a favor and check out his archives. Especially, see his portrayal of Kolkata, his black and white work, and also his haunting, heart-wrenching, and yet, completely matter-of-fact capture of Bhopal and its victims in the aftermath of the gas tragedy.
My first exposure to his work was during my time at Jadavpur University Photographic Club (JUPC) during my undergrad days, when as a budding photographer I went to a couple of his exhibitions in Kolkata. One was his follow-up coverage to see, and show, the Bhopal victims after a couple of decades. I had seen nothing like it, and it left a deep impression on me. He was capturing tragedy and horror, he was telling peoples’ stories; there was something serene and poignant in his imagery, and yet something captivatingly prosaic. I felt like I was there.
Photo-journalism is inherently opinionated, and always wants to do two things— tell a story, and capture realism. Any event can be captured in photos from multiple perspectives, and every photographer has to choose one perspective over another. The good photo-journalist knows how to capture and portray the core truth (in their opinion) of the event in their lens, while telling a story, and capturing impactful photographs. There was no one better at it than Raghu Rai. Every story that he has covered, you will find his opinion, his perspectives, and feel the story in your mind’s eye and your heart’s strings.
Alas, I never had the fortune to meet him in person during my JUPC days, but as I said above, his photography had an outsize impact in how I thought about my own photography.
Rest in peace, sir.