‘Rain Dogs’, a photo exhibition by contemporary photographer Rohit Chawla, at Aguad Port and Jail Complex, Sinquerim, highlights themes of desolation and resilience set against the magnificent Goan monsoons during the bleakest of times
CHRISTINE MACHADO | NT BUZZ
When photographer Rohit Chawla first began photographing stray dogs on Goa’s beaches during the COVID-19 pandemic, he admits that he was mainly doing it for his creative sanity.
“While everyone I knew was retreating behind closed doors to escape the pandemic, I sought refuge under the monsoon skies of Goa. The beaches were deserted, except for the stray dogs. Someone dear to me died that year. Most others I knew were silent, out of reach,” he shares.
Feeling unmoored, like many during that somber period, Chawla began taking long daily walks (20-30 kilometers) on the beach, from Ashwem to Morjim to Arambol, where he encountered many stray dogs.
“The Goan community was very kind to these dogs. In fact, there was a whole tribe of people looking after them, and I was just one of them,” he says.
However, when he began photographing these dogs, he found that it not only sustained him but also helped him process what he was feeling. “More than turning a pack of neglected dogs into a photographer’s subject, I was trying to form a frame around my own vulnerability, my disparate thoughts, my inability to articulate those thoughts even to myself. Thus, these images are the quietest, most introspective work I’ve done,” he says.
Reflecting further on his time with these dogs, he states that he often wondered if they were aware that he needed rescuing as much as they did. “Someone once said that dogs have a way of finding people who need them. I think it’s true. Though I fed them whenever I could, the bond that grew between us wasn’t just about food,” he says. “Could they have known that, however broken their lives were, they were, in a strange way, restoring mine? As if they knew I needed to remember, they reminded me that love is simple, something we lose track of at times due to too much reflection, too much analysis of our lives, too much questioning about where we’re headed.”
But capturing these images was not without its challenges. Chawla often had to wait for two or three hours in the pouring rain to get the shot he wanted, even losing three cameras in the process. “I ended up shooting almost 80 percent of the work on my iPhone,” he says.
Although Chawla has been photographing celebrities for many years, working with dogs was a completely new experience. “When shooting a celebrity, by virtue of having the camera, I have limited power for those 10-15 minutes. But when working with dogs, I was at their beck and call. They had all the power. I sometimes returned to the same place multiple times, just hoping a dog would be there,” he says.
Over three years, Chawla photographed around 1,000 images. “It became an obsession of sorts, and one of the reasons for having this exhibition was to put an end to that obsession,” he chuckles.
The exhibition features 100 selected images printed on vintage linen. The window curtains at the exhibition venue, Aguad, display related literature. Chawla reveals that the title of the exhibition, ‘Rain Dogs’, is inspired by poet and author Jeet Thayil’s work.
“The term ‘rain dogs’ metaphorically refers to people who feel lost or out of place, much like the dogs in the rain. It’s often used to describe feelings of alienation or displacement, which was my experience during the pandemic,” says Chawla. He adds that the Aguad Jail Complex, which he describes as “simply magical”, became the perfect setting for the show. “The pandemic was a time of confinement, so this space resonated with me,” he explains.
Chawla hopes this exhibition will also help sensitise people to the plight of stray dogs.
“While the younger generation is very sensitive to these indie dogs and is adopting more of them, there is still a lot of hostility toward these dogs in cities like Delhi. Through this exhibition, I want to highlight Mahatma Gandhi’s words: ‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated,’” he says.
Chawla, who has three indie dogs as pets, adds that these dogs are incredibly smart, resilient, and possess a strong survival instinct. He believes there is a need to create awareness about these dogs.
After the Goa show, Chawla plans to take this exhibition to different parts of the country. He is also releasing a coffee table book, published by Harper Collins, which will be launched at the Jaipur Literature Festival on February 1. The book will also feature 30 of India’s finest writers sharing their love for dogs.
