Dubai: Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, offered his condolences on the passing of internationally renowned photographer Ramesh Shukla, whose name is closely associated with the history of the United Arab Emirates as the visual documentarian of the nation’s founding and the photographer who preserved the historic moment of the Union on December 2, 1971.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak visited the residence of the late photographer, where he was received by his son, Neil Shukla, along with members of the family.

He extended his sincere sympathies and heartfelt condolences, recalling the cultural and historical value the late photographer represented in the UAE’s national journey.

Ramesh Shukla passed away at the age of 87 following complications related to heart conditions at Rashid Hospital in Dubai, leaving behind an exceptional visual legacy considered among the most important photographic testimonies of the UAE’s formative years and the birth of the Union.

Shukla was among the earliest photographers to work in the UAE, having arrived in Dubai in 1965 on a professional journey that would ultimately lead him to document one of the most significant events in the nation’s history. From his early years in the country, he became closely associated with documenting public life and official occasions, later emerging as one of the most prominent photographers to chronicle the period leading up to the Union and the major transformations that followed.

In 1968, he had his first encounter with the Rulers upon the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to attend a camel race in Sharjah. From that point onward, a professional relationship developed between Shukla and the historic events shaping the nation.

The defining moment of his career came in 1971, when he captured the iconic photograph of Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Emirates at the moment of the declaration of the Union. The image became a timeless national symbol embodying unity and collective will. He also documented the signing of the Union document, making his work an essential visual reference in the narrative of the UAE’s founding.

Over decades of work, Shukla’s lens preserved some of the most significant and inspiring moments in the UAE’s history. His photographs became an integral part of the nation’s visual memory and have been featured in exhibitions and museums documenting the country’s modern history.

With the passing of Ramesh Shukla, the cultural landscape loses one of the most important visual witnesses to the UAE’s beginnings. Yet his lens remains a lasting testament to the birth of a nation, and his images will continue to tell future generations the story of a Union that shaped the future and established a distinctive model of development and human progress in the region and beyond.