In my hour-long chat with Mr Ratan Tata, 45 minutes were about dogs, and the rest of the time, we discussed the world. It was ironic for me to meet his favourite dog, who is called Goa,” Rohit Chawla recalls via a phonecall, his time with the late business icon and supporter of animal welfare, in between a busy schedule in Hyderabad.
His recently released photo book — Rain Dogs (HarperCollins) — is the centre of our discussion, as he recalls piecing his labour of love during the lockdown. “It began as an obsession to capture stray dogs. I ended up with 10,000-odd photos from across the world! I adopted three strays after I made Goa my home; Marco, Polo and Hero were abandoned during the lockdown.” To put an end to his obsession, his wife, Saloni suggested he plan an exhibition to showcase these prints. The ongoing photo exhibition that opened on January 1 at the Aguad Port and Jail Complex, will travel to other Indian cities, including Mumbai. “I’m partial about having it in the monsoon here; the book is titled Rain Dogs, after all,” he adds.
Sure, the dogs are the showstoppers but the copy — lyrical, prosaic, and sometimes, stark — organically and evocatively weaves its way across the slickly-designed book. Chawla was working on a project for the past 20 years to photograph 300 of the world’s greatest authors for a book that is set to be released at the 2027 edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival. “I know them well; many are friends who have an affinity for dogs. I was cognisant of the fact that the book should have different styles, and not get intimidating. A book about dogs has to be intimate,” he states. “Vikram Seth, who is usually evasive, responded in 15 seconds after I sent him a photograph of a dog.”
All the proceeds from the exhibition and the book will be donated to animal charities.
Edited extracts from the interview:
MID-DAY: Take us back to the moment when you spotted the first dog on a beach in Goa that made it to this book? What convinced you to photograph it?
ROHIT CHAWLA: I started this project in June-July 2020. The cover picture (right) of the migrant and his pet dog was a definite impetus for this series. In those bleak days of the pandemic, I used to see him on most mornings at a particular spot on the dream beach end at Vagator beach staring longingly at a distant horizon of sorts. And though I had photographed him on several occasions but that one particular day, all the elements came in unison: the fishing boat, the bird, and the dog, all conspired together to create an image of longing and desire during the pandemic.
The title of the book was suggested by Jeet Thayil, and that somehow dictated a certain colour palette and the poetic nature of the images that followed my own visual trajectory. The quiet minimalism of the seascapes and these forgotten dogs became my essential metaphor during the pandemic.
MD: The lockdown was obviously tough on strays. What survival lessons did you observe? Did they become life lessons for you as well?
RC: Since the beaches were no longer a happy hunting ground of leftovers for the dogs, the first few weeks were extremely tough for the dogs. But soon, a whole bunch of volunteers got together and did their bit and many Westerners, who were stranded in India, were particularly kind to these dogs. But it was not so much the food. Eventually, the dogs missed human company in equal measure. It was painful to lock eyes with some of them, because they would follow you for miles on the beaches. I had to learn to avert my gaze at times because I didn’t want them to be displaced from their intrinsic self-defined territories on the beaches. Since I had chosen to live on the beach myself, we sustained each other emotionally too.
MD: What role did the rain play in composing these photographs?
RC: Goa is at its magnificent best in the monsoon, and the rain helps create a unifying de-saturated colour palette that does away with the harshness of light by adding that elusive atmosphere which feels particularly surreal and magical even to a somewhat jaded photographer’s eyes. Watching an overcast deep grey monsoon sky, a raging sea enveloped by relentless rain was the perfect aria for an opera fiend like me.
MD: What are some of the most unforgettable moments that you will cherish from this project?
RC: There were some magic moments. A favourite (above, left) focuses on a fisherman in black, fishing, with his black dog in attendance, like a proverbial lead violinist of sorts as he conducts the perfect monsoon symphony in a panoramic and surreal seascape in shades of green. This was at Morjim, near Turtle beach. Another favourite also with a fisherman in yellow that translated a beautiful feeling when the frame was made. I had also spotted a dog (below, extreme left) hidden among the rocks. They often retreat into their own space.
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