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Kenya: Heroic Photojournalist Dhillon Dies at 88

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6 years ago

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Veteran photojournalist Mohinder Dhillon has died aged 88.

The photographer died on Monday morning at Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi, after a short illness.

Known for his fearlessness, Dhillon, who British troops in Yemen once half-mockingly nicknamed “Death-wish Dhillon”, will be remembered for his escapades that saw him risk his life in pursuit of the perfect shot.

Born in 1931 in Babar Pur village, Punjab, Dhillon came to Kenya in 1947 to join his father Tek Singh — fondly referred to as Bau Ji — who had been working for the Uganda Railway since the age of 17.

In an interview with the Nation in 2016, he revealed his struggles with formal education, especially with the transition from his native Urdu to English.

“All five of my brothers passed their ‘O’ level examinations. I was the sole exception, failing the exam,” he said in the interview.

His consolation was a gift of a second-hand camera from his father.

“Neither he nor I, knew it at the time, but this simple gift marked the beginning of a 60-year-long career in photography,” he said.

His elaborate body of work comprises coverage of major world events, mainly in Africa and the Middle East, for the major broadcasters of the day.

Some of his films have had a powerful effect on public consciousness around the world, just to mention his coverage of the Ethiopian famine in the mid-1980s, which was instrumental in raising millions of dollars in famine relief.