Raghu Rai

Photojournalist Raghu Rai has documented Indian life for major news publications in India and around the world for over 50 years. Known as the father of Indian photojournalism, Rai is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Padmashree, one of India’s highest civilian honors. In 1992 he was named Photographer of the Year in the United States for his National Geographic cover story “Human Management of Wildlife in India.” His photo essays have been published in LIFE, Time, Newsweek, Le Monde, and the New York Times, among other publications. After completing a Thomson fellowship in England, Rai worked for The Times in London in 1965. Although he was offered a full-time position there, he chose to return to his home country. Rai was the chief photographer at Indian daily newspaper The Statesman from 1966 to 1976, and later worked as a photo editor and photographer for India Today, the country’s leading news magazine. Impressed by his work, Henri Cartier-Bresson appointed Rai to Magnum Photos in 1977.