Bringing in the New Year with this visual showcase of the poignant stories of Goa’s stray dogs, eminent Indian contemporary photographer Rohit Chawla’s latest photo exhibition ‘Rain Dogs’, was recently unveiled at the scenic Aguad Port & Jail Complex in Sinquerim.
‘Rain Dogs’ captures an intimate portrayal of these often disregarded animals in the monsoons during the COVID-19 lockdown, transforming them into symbols of vulnerability, resilience, and survival. The exhibition is open for public viewing till February 15, 2025.
“When I began taking these pictures, more than turning a pack of neglected dogs into a subject, I was attempting to frame my vulnerability, scattered thoughts, and inability to express them. These images are among the quietest, most introspective works I’ve done. The stark desolation of those times, set against the magnificence of the Goan monsoon, became my poetry of choice,” said Chawla, who won India its first-ever prestigious ‘Industry Craft Gold Lion’ at Cannes, France in 2023.
Rohit Chawla is an internationally acclaimed Indian photographer, celebrated for his unconventional portraits of some of the biggest names in India’s political & creative landscape . Former Group Creative Director for the India Today Group and Open magazine, he has conceptualized and photographed over 400 magazine covers, cementing his position as a leading force in visual storytelling.
The Aguad Port & Jail Complex, surrounded by the sea, provided the perfect setting for the ‘Rain Dogs’ exhibition, paying tribute to the beauty of the Goan coastline. “We are thrilled to host the ‘Rain Dogs’ exhibition at Aguad, a venue that complements the raw beauty of Rohit Chawla’s photographs and is a perfect setting for his imagery “ said Savio Mathias, Operations Head at Aguad.
In addition to the exhibition, ‘Rain Dogs’ will be published as a coffee table book by globally renowned publishing house HarperCollins, set to launch at the Jaipur Literature Festival on February 01, 2025. Furthermore, the exhibition will travel to the Museo Camera Centre for the Photographic Arts in Gurgaon, where it will be on view starting January 26, 2025, taking a piece of Goa’s monsoon and its stray dogs to a new audience.
Comments on the soon-to-be-launched book Rain Dogs:
“Everyone, it is said, thinks they have the best dog. And none of them are wrong. Rohit Chawla’s stunning, 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.”
– Shashi Tharoor, Author and Politician
“What makes the human-dog bond unique is that both are social animals and only thrive when together. That’s why who we erroneously call strays are actually community dogs. One completes the other. That’s why Covid-time isolation was cruel on both. It takes a dog lover with a brilliant sensitivity to dog emotions and body language to catch the moments showcased in this book. Rohit Chawla has built an unparalleled reputation photographing the most glamorous humans. He’s done even better with this challenge. Of course it helps that each dog here is a perfect ten. The sea, clouds and rain in Goa—and the complete absence of people—provides just that most stunning setting.”
– Shekhar Gupta, Editor, The Print.
