{"id":485815,"date":"2026-02-23T14:36:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T14:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/485815\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T14:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T14:36:10","slug":"ap-photographer-rajanish-kakade-dies-at-55","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/485815\/","title":{"rendered":"AP photographer Rajanish Kakade dies at 55"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>NEW DELHI (AP) \u2014 <a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/author\/rajanish-kakade\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rajanish Kakade,<\/a> an Associated Press photographer whose images documented <a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/india\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">India<\/a> \u2019s politics, culture and everyday hustle and bustle of the city of <a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/mumbai\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mumbai<\/a> for nearly two decades, has died. He was 55.<\/p>\n<p>Kakade died at his home in Mumbai on Monday following an illness, his family said.<\/p>\n<p>He joined the AP in 2008 and was based in Mumbai, from where he helped shape the visual record of India\u2019s financial capital. Before joining the AP, he worked with the Sakal Group media conglomerate and the Hindustan Times newspaper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThrough his work, he captured defining moments with integrity and sensitivity. Through his mentorship, he shaped countless careers, always encouraging young photographers to pursue the truth with courage and compassion,\u201d the Mumbai Press Club said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>A third-generation photographer, Kakade followed his grandfather and father, both of whom were photojournalists.<\/p>\n<p>At the AP, Kakade covered a wide range of assignments across India \u2014 from major political events, elections and sports to the <a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/india-mumbai-attacks-suspect-extradition-us-ba1f0aaa0ec4ef777654f5b284058b5b\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">deadly 2008 Mumbai militant attacks<\/a> and the coronavirus <a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/covid-19-pandemic\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">pandemic<\/a>. His images of ordinary life in Mumbai captured the <a class=\"Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement\" data-gtm-enhancement-style=\"LinkEnhancementA\" href=\"https:\/\/apimagesblog.com\/blog\/2022\/9\/3\/asia-in-review\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">rhythm of a rapidly evolving city<\/a>, conveying both its vast scale and quiet intimacy.<\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"more-section-display-name\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"Senior state official among 5 dead after private plane crash in western India\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/india-plane-crash-ajit-pawar-modi-c9c3e127107bb606b24b6ae77e9fe939\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"Supporters of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar pay homage near his photograph at the Nationalist Congress Party office in Mumbai, India after he was killed when a private plane carrying him crashed in western India on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rafiq Maqbool)\"  width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771857369_940_.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>    <a class=\"Link\" aria-label=\"Pakistan and India are drawn in same group of T20 World Cup\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/t20-world-cup-india-sri-lanka-6464d1afcc46db4c92d04facf90a3c5a\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image\" alt=\"India's players celebrate with the winners' trophy after winning against South Africa in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final cricket match at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, June 29, 2024. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa, File)\"  width=\"599\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771857370_946_.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>AP colleagues described Kakade as a soft-spoken professional who was deeply committed to his craft.<\/p>\n<p>Manish Swarup, AP\u2019s chief photographer for South Asia, said Kakade \u201cpossessed that rare, quiet grace of a true observer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t just take pictures; he earned the trust of those in his frame. That is why his photographs always stand out \u2014 they carry an intimacy and a truth that only a person of his character could capture,\u201d Swarup said.<\/p>\n<p>Swarup, who worked closely with Kakade for many years, said he was \u201cmore than a talented eye for The Associated Press,\u201d describing him as \u201ca steadfast friend and a cherished colleague.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe haven\u2019t just lost a great photojournalist; we have lost a beautiful soul, whose kindness was as luminous as his work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Yirmiyan Arthur, who oversees photos and storytelling for the AP in the Asia Pacific region, said Kakade \u201chelped us understand everyday Mumbai, a city of contradictions, with utter honesty,\u201d by chronicling its wealth and poverty, the joys and the heartbreaks of annual monsoons, and life inside its always hustling local trains.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was a son of Mumbai and made sure he told its story the right way,\u201d said Arthur.<\/p>\n<p>Kakade is survived by family members.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW DELHI (AP) \u2014 Rajanish Kakade, an Associated Press photographer whose images documented India \u2019s politics, culture and&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":485816,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[228,226,227,1204,2724,28,229,88,793,2344,223490,11228,3509,52950,9177,965],"class_list":["post-485815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-asia-pacific","tag-associated-press","tag-business","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-general-news","tag-india","tag-manish-swarup","tag-mumbai","tag-notable-deaths","tag-pandemics","tag-south-asia","tag-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=485815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/485816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=485815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=485815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=485815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}