By seeing the title, you may have already got an idea about what this blog is about. Yes, this blog is about Raghu Rai. For me, Raghu Rai is not just another Magnum photographer; he is someone whom I admired, looked up to, followed his work, got to learn what photography can do, and got to learn about his devotion towards photography. When I started seeing his photos, what extraordinary photos they were! Each photo is just like an epic poem. The photographs of India over 50 years.
If I have to talk about my favorite photos of him, first will be the photo of Indira Gandhi’s silhouette against the Himalayas. What a photo! The photos of Mother Teresa, while she was alive and even after her death, even his most iconic photo of two men reading a newspaper in a train station in Mumbai, and many more memorable photos. Each photo tells a story, tells a new poem, by the epic poet himself. This fantastic journey started in Delhi, with the hand of his brother, just after graduating from engineering college. He was living with his cousin, who was a renowned photographer back then. He lent him a camera, he went out, and took a photo of a baby donkey. That photo took place in London Time, with his name, ‘Photo Raghu Rai.’ That’s the start of an epic journey of photography. He was amongst the early pioneers of photojournalism in India, who is best known for his contributions in documenting various socio-political events such as the Bangladesh Brutalities (1971), Bhopal Gas Tragedy (1984), as well as capturing beautiful portraits of icons namely Mother Teresa, Bismillah Khan, His Holiness Dalai Lama, and much more.
If we analyze his work, we are going to see a huge influence of Cartier-Bresson’s ‘Decisive Moment’. In his work, with the hand of Bresson, Raghu Rai became a member of the world-famous Magnum Photo Agency. Raghu Rai has taken the capturing of the Decisive Moment to another level. Sometimes I feel, after seeing his work, that God created his photos; otherwise, how can a man capture at the perfect time? Everything is in the perfect position: dog, birds, everything aligned perfectly. He has taught the world how to deep dive into people, how to wait for that extraordinary moment to be created.
Raghu Rai, we looked at his works. He has worked extensively on the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Even if his photos are always vibrant, in this particular assignment, we have seen his characters are lifeless, and the world understood how corporate capitalism becomes monstrous when we see the expressions of the people.
Another assignment on PM Indira Gandhi was on another level. A female prime minister of a country, how all the politicians are standing in front of her, how she is interacting with the politicians and all was documented so poetically in those photos.
In his interviews, he said multiple times that his soul is a mirror. He photographs the soul, not the person. Really inspiring.
In his childhood, he wanted to be a musician, but the practicality of an Indian middle-class family could not make him a musician, but he became an artist. In his interviews and talks, he always mentions this: in his next life, he wants to be a musician, because you can find the divine anywhere. He always said that taking photos is his religion.
If we talk about his photography technique:
His photographs are very hard to explain. By listening to him in his interviews and talks, I have realized that his intuition and seeing beyond the surface is the secret source of his photos. His technique lies in seeing and observing, not in his camera, not in his lens.
Observation: One of the biggest pillars of his photos is observation, how to blend in with the place and moment. He said, “I always take photos when I blend in the moment or people forget about my presence.” Learning to see takes a lot of patience and practice.
Focus on the people: Often when I take photos, I always think very critically about the composition, rules of composition, and many more things, but in his work, we will see a lot of photos are off-centered. When he has been asked by the people, he answered with a smile, asking with curiosity, “Where in India is anything in the centre?”
These two are the biggest things that made his photos stand out from other people, and his belief that the photo should talk about the history and should not be talked about by the photographer.
Focus on the people: Often when I take photos, I always think very critically about the composition, rules of composition, and many more things, but in his work, we will see a lot of photos are off-centered. When he has been asked by the people, he answered with a smile, asking with curiosity, “Where in India is anything in the centre?”
These two are the biggest things that made his photos stand out from other people, and his belief that the photo should talk about the history and should not be talked about by the photographer.
In April 2026, the world lost a great hero in the world of photography. Rest in Light…
