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Capturing the depth of human emotions has always be the strong point of leading photographer Raghu Rai’s work. His panoramic, wide-angle shots capture complex emotion in frozen instants, portraying moments of deep thought. This intensity is perhaps, most apparent in Rai’s images that depict the fallout of the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984. In a heart wrenching series of photographs, Rai arrests the chaos and paranoia of the situation as it...
Capturing the depth of human emotions has always be the strong point of leading photographer Raghu Rai’s work. His panoramic, wide-angle shots capture complex emotion in frozen instants, portraying moments of deep thought. This intensity is perhaps, most apparent in Rai’s images that depict the fallout of the Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984. In a heart wrenching series of photographs, Rai arrests the chaos and paranoia of the situation as it appeared before him. His life like coverage of the tragedy won him a World Press Photo Award in the same year.

Rai has also been tremendously moved by the humanitarian work of the founder of the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa. The photographer had the privilege of capturing the Nobel Peace Prize and Bharat Ratna award winner on film at various points between 1970 and her death in 1997, and has also taken striking images the State funeral she was given in the country. Apart from his works based on particular incidences and personalities, Rai has also built an exceptional portfolio of images of different communities, traditions and customs, the fast pace of urban life in the metropolises of India, and landscapes portraying the lively river banks in Varanasi and Kolkata.

Raghu Rai was born in 1942 in Jhhang, now part of Pakistan. His career in photography started in the year 1965, a year after he began to work for the prestigious New Delhi daily publication, the Statesman. In 1976, Rai left the newspaper and worked as a freelance photographer for the next six years. From 1982 – 1992, Rai served as the Director of Photography for the newsmagazine India Today. He has also served on the jury for World Press Photo award three times.

Over the years Rai’s work has also been featured in several solo shows around the world, including those at Casa Asia, Barcelona, in 2008; ‘The Journey of a Moment in Time: Raghu Rai’ at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), New Delhi and Mumbai, in 2008; ‘Just By The Way: Rocks, Clouds and Nudes’ at the Jehangir Nicholson Gallery, National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, in 2007; ‘India’ at Musei Capitolini Centrale Montemartini, Rome, in 2005; ‘Bhopal 1984 – 2004’ at Melkweg Gallery, Amsterdam, in 2005; and ‘Oriented’ at FotoGrafia, Festival Internazionale di Roma organized by the Comune di Roma, also in 2005. Amongst his most recent group endeavors are ‘CLICK ! Contemporary Photography in India’ at Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, in 2008; ‘Namesake / Inspiration’ at Sepia International, New York, in 2007; and ‘Indianscope: L'Inde intemporelle dans l'Inde d'aujourd'hui’ at the Maison de la Photographi, France, also in 2007.

In 1971, Rai was awarded the Padmashree, one of India’s highest civilian awards. In 1992, he won global acclaim for his National Geographic cover story “Human Management of Wildlife in India.” Leading magazines and news dailies such has Time, Life, GEO, The New York Times, Sunday Times, Newsweek, The Independent and the New Yorker have published many of Rai’s photo essays.

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