Delhi-based photographer Rakesh Sahai dies

The cremation is at 12 noon on Saturday at Lodhi crematorium.

Pursuing his passion of over two decades, Sahai was at Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh, when he breathed his last.

R Srinivasan, Opinion Editor, BusinessLine, remembered his friend of 30 years as a natural genius. “He had the most amazing collection of wildlife photographs, which he would sometimes share with us. When we were with the ABP group, we got five days off for Pujo, and we usually travelled to wildlife sanctuaries. And Rakesh would always lead the way. He knew how to spot birds, where the animals would come to rest; he was a natural. Not one to opt for safaris, he would simply travel into the wild.”

His passion also got him involved with several NGOs, and he mentored children to explore the wild, which resulted in a group called Teens for Tigers.

He also held an exhibition on Geeta Chandran, marking 40 years of the dancer’s career. And when Delhi got its new domestic departure terminal, 1D, it was Sahai’s photos that filled the corridor connecting the VIP lounge to the security hold area. The photos traced the history of the city, from Indraprastha and Tughlaqabad to Shahjahanabad and contemporary Delhi.

In his career as a photojournalist, he was associated with Time Inc. and its publications, and worked with The Straits Times, Singapore, for which he did shoots in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.