Description

Raghu Rai was born in the small village of Jhhang, now part of Pakistan. He took up photography in 1965, and just one year later joined The Statesman newspaper as its chief photographer. Impressed by an exhibition of his work in Paris in 1971, Henri Cartier-Bresson nominated Rai to join Magnum Photos in 1977. For the last couple of decades, Rai has focused almost exclusively on his homecountry of India, producing distinctive and richly-composed images on subjects as varied as the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the Dalai Lama and the turmoil surrounding the 1971 Bangladesh genocide. Pictured here, local commuters crowd a platform at the Church Gate railway station in Mumbai.

Get Magnum news and updates directly to your inbox

Stay in touch
Monthly updates on the latest assignments, photographer projects and collaborations with brands.
Know when our quarterly 7-day square print sale is coming.
Learn about online and offline exhibitions, photography fairs, gallery events, plus fine print news and activities, on a monthly basis.
Get fortnightly tips and advice articles, find out about the latest workshops, free online events and on-demand courses.
Be the first to know about recent Magnum Shop drops. From new books and limited editions, to special offers, you can find it all on the weekly Magnum Shop newsletter.
Stay up to date every Thursday with Magnum photographers’ activities, new work, stories published on the Magnum website, and the latest offerings from our shop.