Raghu Rai (born in December 1942) qualified as civil engineer, started photography at the age of 23 in 1965. He joined The Statesman newspaper as their chief photographer (1966 to 1976), and was then Picture Editor with Sunday-a weekly news magazine published from Calcutta (1977 to 1980).
In 1971, impressed by Rai's exhibition at Gallery Delpire, Paris, the legendary photographer Henri Cartier Bresson nominated him to Magnum Photos, the world's most prestigious photographer's cooperative which Rai could start only in 1977.
Rai took over as Picture Editor-Visualiser-Photographer of India Today, India's leading news magazine in its formative years. He worked on special issues and designs, contributing trailblazing picture essays on social, political and cultural themes of the decade (1982 to 1991) which became the talking point of the magazine.
He was awarded the 'Padmashree' in 1972, one of India's important civilian awards ever given to a photographer for the body of works he produced on Bangladesh refugees, the war and the surrender. In 1992 he was awarded "Photographer of the Year" in the United States for the story "Human Management of Wildlife in India" published in National Geographic. In 2009 he was conferred Officier des Arts et des Lettres by French Govt.
Works and life of Raghu Rai have been documented by both National and International agencies. While National Geographic, CNN and BBC created documentary on him as part of the greatest photographers of the world in early 2000s, ministry of external affairs in India made a comprehensive documentary on him in 2010. His works are in permanent collection of Bibliothic Nationale, Paris, National Gallery of Modern Art and many other private collectors and museum.
His photo essays have appeared in many of the world's leading magazines and newspapers - including Time, Life, GEO, Le Figaro, Le Monde, Die Welt, The New York Times, Sunday, The Times-London, Newsweek, Vogue, GQ, D magazine, Marie Claire, The Independent and the New Yorker. He has been an adjudicator for World Press Photo Contest, Amsterdam and UNESCO's International Photo Contest for many times.
He has done extensive work on the photo documentation of 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy and its continuing effects on the lives of gas victims under a special assignment from Greenpeace International. This documentation was compiled into a book with 3 sets of exhibitions traveling in Europe, America, Australia, India and South East Asia from 2002 to 2005, which created greater awareness about the tragedy and bringing relief to many survivors.
Born and brought up in India, for him India is his whole world. Probably the only photographer who prefers to photograph his homeland and people as he feels it is his responsibility and a challenge to go on and explore the ethos and power of an ancient civilization of his own country than dabble in all kinds of travel abroad. This has, probably, given him and his work an edge over anybody photographing India. He believes 'Over the centuries', so much has melded into India, that it's not really one country, it's not one culture. It is crowded with crosscurrents of many religions, beliefs, cultures and their practices that may appear incongruous. But India keeps alive the inner spirit of her own civilization with all its contradictions. Here, several centuries have learnt to live side by side at the same time. And a good photograph is lasting witness to that as photo history of our times. Being a multi-lingual, multi- cultured and multi- religious society, the images must speak these complexities through a multi- layered experience.
About Mahakumbh: Photographs by Raghu Rai
Storyltd is pleased to present Raghu Rai’s collection of photographs shot on the theme of “Mahakumbh”.
Nothing could have kept Raghu Rai away from this incredible pilgrimage to Allahabad. He has long been fascinated by the excesses of this popular Indian festival. The origin of this tradition could be an ancient celebration of the planting season, during which jars filled with grains were soaked in the waters of the holy rivers and germinated in a fertility ritual. The jar symbolizes the Mother Goddess, the womb of the world, and rivers are also considered as sources of life in the Indian world.
The Kumbh at Prayag is simply a multitudinous congregation of people belonging to many faiths in general and Hindus in particular. It is a massive visual representation of Hinduistic religiosity in its most intensive and eloquent tradition. Everything is unique and rare with Kumbh. Its makeshift shelters in lakhs, its area and dimension, millions and millions of dwellers, its religious discourses, acts and philosophies based on hundreds of faiths. Thousands of holy and not so holy Nagas, non invitational invitation, and its unique technology- all this constitutes a rare manifestation of Divinity in Matter and Mind.
Celebrated every 12 years, the Maha Kumbh Mela, “great festival of the jar” attracts masses of Hindu devotees from across the country. According to Hindu scriptures, gods and demons fought for a jar containing the nectar of immortality, and in this heavenly battle, a drop of the precious substance fell on several cities, among them Allahabad. In this holy city, dipping at the Sangam, confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna River and the legendary Saraswati River, washes the believer’s sins and frees the soul from the cycle of reincarnation.
Raghu Rai born and brought up in India, for him India is his whole world. Probably the only photographer who prefers to photograph his homeland and people as he feels it is his responsibility and a challenge to go on and explore the ethos and power of an ancient civilization of his own country than dabble in all kinds of travel abroad. This has, probably, given him and his work an edge over anybody photographing India.
He believes ‘Over the centuries’, so much has melded into India, that it’s not really one country, it’s not one culture. It is crowded with crosscurrents of many religions, beliefs, cultures and their practices that may appear incongruous. But India keeps alive the inner spirit of her own civilization with all its contradictions. Here, several centuries have learnt to live side by side at the same time. And a good photograph is lasting witness to that as photo history of our times. Being a multi-lingual, multi- cultured and multi- religious society, the images must speak these complexities through a multi- layered experience.
See also: Raghu Rai Photography: Music Maestros