New Delhi
Raghu Rai, the first Indian photo journalist to receive international acclaim, was the chronicler of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, as his pictures captured the plight of millions of refugees, war-torn landscapes, and the eventual victory.
According to the Raghu Rai Foundation that was dounded by the legendary Photo artists during his lifetime,"being a refugee child in the partition of 1947, his coverage of the 1971 displacement was personal and empathetic."
He also captured the historic moments when the 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered at the Ramna recourse in Dhaka to the Indian Army on December 16, 1971, ending genocide of Bengalis in East Pakistan.
Bangladeshi refugees in India
Rai who passed away on Sunday was in the middle of writing his 57th book. His Foundation has a repository of 50,000 of his selected images and works towards preserving the legendary visual artists’ body of work spanning 5 decades.
Rai was among the most influential photographers of modern India. He passed away at 83 after a two-year battle with cancer.
Gen A K Niazi signing the surrender document before Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora
The Padma Shri awardee, Rai is celebrated for iconic images of Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Bangladesh Liberation War and modern India.
🙏 Humble Tribute
— Battalion71 🇧🇩 (@ImbusyWarrior) April 26, 2026
Raghu Rai, one of India's most renowned photographers, passed away on Sunday at a private hospital in #NewDelhi. He was 83 years old. During the #Liberation War, Raghu Rai risked his life to enter Bangladesh and capture the scenes of the freedom fighters'… pic.twitter.com/sxP51dvZl5
Legendary photographer Raghu Rai passes away at 83 📸💔
— Imran Khan Sheikh (@roamingwithIKS) April 26, 2026
The man who captured India’s soul… is gone.
From Indira Gandhi to Mother Teresa, his images made the world feel India.
Not just a photographer — an era.
🕊️ Rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/WtJl18Rbg3
He believed each photograph had to be different—an act of discovery, and an attempt to create 'something new', he'd said in a 2022 interview.
Shri Raghu Rai Ji will be remembered as a creative stalwart, who captured India’s vibrancy through his lens. His photography had extraordinary sensitivity, depth and diversity. It brought people closer to the different aspects of life in India. His passing is an irreparable loss…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 26, 2026
In his practice, he made himself fully available to the moment—physically, mentally and spiritually—allowing life to unfold before his lens. The photographer, who never left his house without a camera, last year offered advice to emerging photographers--don’t shoot endlessly in a chase of social media followers.
He was trained to be an engineer and when after a year of his job he left it as he found the nine to five a boring routine.
Later he picked camera and the rest is history.
Rest in peace, Raghu Rai.
— Anish Gawande (@anishgawande) April 26, 2026
You have left us, but your images will stay with us forever. pic.twitter.com/UbKhIk7BWJ
