Goa, Isolation and the Company of Dogs

Rohit Chawla's latest book, 'Rain Dogs', features images of Indie dogs on solitary beaches during the covid-19 pandemic, with just the Goan monsoon, the tempestuous sea and a human or two

- Avantika Bhuyan

The sea appears like an ever-expanding sphere, alternating between shades of steel, silver and grey under the dark monsoon sky. Droplets of rain break the surface like tiny jewels. Two lone figures stand at the edge of the water. The human, with a hat on head and a fishing rod in hand, seems to be lost in thought. The black dog, with a medallion around its neck, on the other hand, is entirely focused on its human companion—calm but watchful. There is a sense of quiet companionship between the two. There is a poetic, almost painting-like feel to this image. The photograph stays with you long after you have finished poring over Rohit Chawla's latest book, Rain Dogs (HarperCollins India).

"(These) moving photographs of dogs in Goa during the covid era are a reminder that dogs are indeed poems with paws, and that those paws can leave their imprint on the hardest human heart," writes politician-author Shashi Tharoor about the images in a blurb in the book. This series of images had rather serendipitous beginnings. In 2021, when people started retreating indoors during the covid-19 pandemic, Goa-based Chawla chose to seek refuge under the monsoon skies. He embarked on long walks on solitary beaches, bereft of tourists and locals, to get some exercise and break the monotony of the isolation. On several such sojourns, he found company in stray dogs. And that's how these photos came about.