Raghu Rai coming to Dhaka

Magnum photographer Raghu Rai is arriving in Dhaka to unveil the cover of the much-anticipated book "Rise of a Nation," a journey through the Liberation War of Bangladesh, depicted through his captivating photographs. Back in 2023, the Raghu Rai Foundation co-published this book with the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation, containing unpublished and rare photographs from Raghu Rai's 1971 series on the war of liberation. The book will be launched tomorrow on 10th of May.

Raghu Rai, born in December 1942, qualified as a civil engineer, and began his photography journey at the age of 23 in 1965. He joined The Statesman newspaper as their chief photographer from 1966 to 1976 and then served as Picture Editor with Sunday, a weekly news magazine published from Calcutta, from 1977 to 1980.

After completing a Thomson fellowship in England, he worked with The Times, London for four weeks, during which he received three half pages every week with his by-line and a job offer from the then picture editor, Norman Hall. However, he chose to return to his unfinished creative journey in the lanes and by lanes of his homeland.

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 photographers' cooperative. Rai could only join Magnum in 1977, and he continues to be a part of this legendary institute.

Rai took over as Picture Editor-Visualiser-Photographer of "India Today," India's leading news magazine, contributing trailblazing picture essays from 1982 to 1991. His series on Great Masters Of Indian Classical Music, Satyajit Ray, and Mother Teresa became the talking points of the magazine.

He was awarded the 'Padmashree' in 1972, a civilian award given for the body of works he produced on Bangladesh refugees and the war.

In 2023, the Raghu Rai Foundation co-published the book titled "Rise of a Nation" with the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation, containing unpublished and rare photographs from Raghu Rai's 1971 series on the war of liberation. The book will be launched today in Bangladesh.

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 the Officer des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government, and he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016 in India.

Rai became the first laureate photographer of the 'Académie Des Beaux-Arts' Paris in 2019, one of the highest awards in photography ever given to a living photographer. In fact, it was in 1839 that the invention of the first camera was announced and presented to the world at the same Académie Des Beaux-Arts.