MAM
The Advertising Club initiates ‘Twitter Townhall’
MUMBAI: The Advertising Club in partnership with Twitter Inida has initiated a unique concept called Twitter Townhall in India starting 12 February 2016.
Under this initiative, The Advertising Club will provide a platform to industry leaders to interact and inspire young and inquisitive minds across the country.
The Advertising Club president Raj Nayak said, “The world is going digital and India remains a major player in this realm. Conducting a first-of-its-kind virtual Twitter Townhall in the midst of all this, is an extremely exciting prospect for us. I would call it a ‘digital reach-out program’, because with this new initiative we are comprehensively erasing the narrow boundaries of time, geographies and hierarchies, and making it possible for inquiring minds to connect with business leaders in a unique and meaningful manner. We hope to continue breaking ground with the Advertising Club and initiating programs that foster growth for digital India.”
The platform provides a chance to engage with the best minds from the industry.
“Twitter Townhalls have been used by global business and political leaders to connect with their followers and audiences at large, for quite some time now. Bringing the Townhall to India is a huge step for digital India. I can say that we, at Twitter India, are excited to be associated with the Advertising Club to launch this initiative that is going to further encourage interaction and foster ambivalence for the ever growing digital audience in India”, added Twitter India vice president – media for Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa Rishi Jaitly.
The Twitter Townhall will kick start with Unilever VP – media for Asia, Africa, Middle East, Turkey and Russia Rahul Welde. The townhall will be chaired by eminent business personality every week, including CMOs, CEOs, agency heads, media journalists and media honchos. Some of the stalwarts chairing this engaging initiative include Madison World chairman and managing director Sam Balsara, Publicis India managing director and chief creative officer Bobby Pawar , DDB Mudra Group CEO and managing director Madhukar Kamath, Dentsu Aegis chairman and CEO South Asia Ashish Bhasin , amongst other.
With a pre-decided schedule of townhalls, the Advertising Club Twitter handle will invite its followers and the Advertising Club members to send in their questions via the social media platform. If the question is shortlisted, it will be answered by the business leader every Friday at a pre-decided time from The Advertising Club Twitter handle (@TheAdClub_India).
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.
