RAJAN DEVADAS

DEVADAS RAJAN DEVADAS (Age 93) On Friday, December 26, 2014, at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington. Beloved husband of Kimiko Devadas. He is survived by two daughters: Kamal Cohen (Barry) and Mina Devadas; six sons: Prem Devadas (Donna), Anand Devadas (Prachee), Asoka Devadas (Rose), Shyam Devadas, Arjun Devadas, and Thambi Devadas; 10 grandchildren; and, a host of dear relatives and friends. Following his studies at Banaras Hindu University in 1955, he came to the US to attend Pendle Hill Quaker Center for Study and Contemplation and New School for Social Research. From the late 1950s until 2005, as a professional photojournalist, he documented the US visits of every Indian prime minister from Jawaharlal Nehru to Dr. Manmohan Singh and also photographed countless dignitaries including every US president from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush. His photos were carried by dozens of news organizations worldwide, including India Abroad, Economic Times, IndiaToday, the Press Trust of India, The Times of India, Illustrated Weekly of India,The Hindu, The Hindustan Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post, UPI, Reuters and Al Ahram. For a number of years, he worked as the official photographer of the Embassy of India in Washington, during which he developed close friendships with a number of Indian ambassadors to the United States, including Braj Kumar Nehru - whom he considered a mentor - K.R. Narayanan, Abid Hussein, Lalit Mansingh, Ronan Sen and Nirupama Rao. In 2002, he was honored to have received the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors. Devadas was a longtime community leader, also, dedicating countless hours to supporting and strengthening Indo-American relations through his volunteer activities with many organizations worldwide. Besides documenting diplomatic circles, he took great joy photographing the world around him with a particular interest in representing children and nature in his work. In 1989, then-Ambassador to the United States P.K. Kaul inaugurated an exhibition of Devadas' work at the Capital Children's Museum in Washington. The exhibition showcased images illuminating various aspects of life in India-its people, places, art, architecture, and landscape-with a special segment of photographs of Indian children. An avid and adventuresome gourmet chef, he delighted in preparing and creatively experimenting with traditional South Indian dishes. His home was a destination for friends, colleagues, students and even strangers who were welcomed graciously as part of his extended family. He felt blessed to have lived and to have raised his family in America, while maintaining a deep abiding love for his homeland of India. A private family service will be held immediately, followed by a public celebration in 2015 honoring his life. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in Rajan's memory to the Gandhi Memorial Center in Washington, DC, 4748 Western Avenue; Bethesda, MD 20816, USA.