Raghu Rai was born in the small village of Jhang, now part of Pakistan. He took up photography in 1965, and the following year joined the Statesman newspaper as its chief photographer. In 1971, he was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian awards ever given to a photographer. Impressed by an exhibit of his work in Paris in 1971, Henri Cartier-Bresson nominated Rai to join Magnum Photos in 1977. Since then, Rai has spent over four decades charting the changing face of India. He went on to judge the World Press Photo awards from 1990 to 1997. Photographing subjects from Indira Gandhi and Mother Teresa to the victims of Bhopal, he is one of the foremost visual chroniclers in the world.
...what makes the book stand out is not just the encounters between The Dalai Lama and Rai but the seemingly larger- than-life photographs. Every single one speaks up for itself; the monk's expressions are captured at their best and the monochrome adds to the splendour. The book is an absolute page-turner, and a must for those who desire to learn portrait photography - that too from a maestro like Raghu Rai. * Hindustan Times * A seamless and intimate body of work by one the most accomplished photographers the country has ever produced...There are moments of striking beauty, genuine tenderness, and surprising humour. And a spiritual and affectionate thread running through two lives, binding it all together. * Firstpost * Rai creates intimate portraits that capture not just the man on the dais addressing his followers or confronting politics, but also in his private world. * Vogue (India) *