MAM
Taproot launches new division TRIP
MUMBAI: Taproot is launching a new division, Taproot India Plus (TRIP).
TRIP, headed by Purushottam Joshi, will handle creative execution and services, specialising in non – mass media and production activities for the advertising, publicity and marketing industry.
The new division will be based out of Mumbai but the agency’s multi city network tie ups will support national level requirements too.
Joshi, a partner in TRIP, will be leading it as a director and will be the face of this unit with an experienced team under him.
Joshi said, “There is a disconnect between what kind of state-of-the-art technology available in the market versus what’s being used or rather how it‘s being used to reach consumers. In fact he is positive that ventures like TRIP can bridge the divide between brands and consumer across non mass-media touch points in a more relevant and effective way”
The division will not only talk about the standard BTL but every single experience point where a brand has a connect with its consumer, for example POS, brand signage, in-shop displays, merchandise, exhibitions and events.
Taproot India co-founder Santosh Padhi said, “The industry spends on retail / on-ground/ merchandise are already steep but sadly, the quality needs to improve much more to honestly justify those spends. The industry has moved ahead quite a bit on film production in last five years with our television work looking far better than what it was a decade back. But we are yet to do the same in other areas”.
Taproot India chief creative officer Agnello Dias added, “This sort of service does exist in international markets where once the big idea is arrived at, the creative services execution team, with their practical knowledge of on-ground and retail space takes the idea forward in a more engaging, entertaining and effective way. To the extent that at times most clients do brief these set of team independently like one does to a research or a digital agency”.
Joshi has over 25 years of experience in the advertising and print industry. He has worked in agency networks such as JWT, Euro RSCG and Mudra.
MAM
Raghu Rai passes away at 83, leaves behind iconic legacy
Padma Shri-winning photographer documented history across 5 decades.
MUMBAI: The lens may have stilled, but the stories it captured will never fade. Raghu Rai, one of India’s most celebrated photojournalists, passed away on April 26, 2026, at the age of 83. He breathed his last at a private hospital in New Delhi after battling cancer and age-related health issues.
His son, Nitin Rai, revealed that Rai had been diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago, which later spread to the stomach and, more recently, the brain. Despite multiple rounds of treatment, his health had declined in recent months.
Born in 1942 in Jhang, Punjab (now in Pakistan), Rai entered photography in his early twenties, inspired by his elder brother, photographer S. Paul. Beginning his career in the mid-1960s, he went on to build a body of work that spanned more than five decades, contributing to global publications such as Time, Life, GEO, Le Figaro, The New York Times, Vogue, GQ and Marie Claire.
His global recognition took a decisive leap in 1977 when legendary French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson nominated him to join Magnum Photos, placing him among the world’s most respected visual storytellers.
Rai’s lens chronicled both power and poignancy. He photographed towering figures such as Indira Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Bal Thackeray, Satyajit Ray and Mother Teresa, while also documenting defining moments like the Bhopal gas tragedy later captured in his book Exposure: A Corporate Crime.
Over the years, he published more than 18 books, building an archive that blended journalism with artistry. His contributions were recognised early when he was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972 for his coverage of the Bangladesh War and refugee crisis. In 1992, he was named “Photographer of the Year” in the United States for his work in National Geographic, and in 2009, he was honoured with the Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
Rai is survived by his wife Gurmeet, son Nitin, and daughters Lagan, Avani and Purvai. His last rites will be held at Lodhi Cremation Ground in New Delhi at 4 pm on Sunday.
With his passing, Indian photojournalism loses not just a pioneer, but a patient observer of history, one frame at a time.
