Rajanish Kakade dies at 55 (IMAGE: INSTAGRAM)
Rajanish Kakade, a photographer for the Associated Press, spent nearly twenty years capturing the energy, politics, and daily life of Mumbai. He died at 55, at home in Mumbai on Monday, after an illness, his family said.
Kakade started with the AP in 2008 and worked from Mumbai, helping to shape how people saw India’s financial capital.
The Mumbai Press Club remembered him as someone who captured important moments with honesty and care. They also talked about how he mentored young photographers, urging them to chase the truth with both courage and compassion.
Photography ran in Kakade’s blood; his grandfather and father were both photojournalists. At the AP, he covered everything: politics, elections, sports, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and the COVID pandemic.
But his real gift was showing everyday Mumbai, the crowded streets, the quiet corners, the city always moving yet somehow intimate.
People who worked with him described him as gentle and deeply dedicated. Manish Swarup, AP’s chief photographer for South Asia, said Kakade had “that rare, quiet grace of a true observer.”
He didn’t just take photos; he got to know people, and that trust showed in his images. “That’s why his photos always stand out they’re honest and intimate in a way only he could capture,” Swarup said.
Swarup, who spent years working alongside Kakade, called him more than a sharp eye; he was a loyal friend and a cherished colleague. “We haven’t just lost a great photojournalist. We’ve lost a beautiful soul, someone whose kindness was as bright as his work.”
Yirmiyan Arthur, who oversees AP’s photos and storytelling in the Asia Pacific, said Kakade helped people see the real Mumbai, a city full of contradictions.
He photographed its wealth and poverty, the joy and heartbreak of the monsoon season, and the life packed into its local trains. “He was a son of Mumbai and made sure he told its story the right way,” Arthur said.
Kakade leaves behind his family.
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