Dogs Stray dogs bring their own character on their surroundings and can even help an award winning photographer bring out a unique photography exhibition.
Rohit Chawla is an internationally acclaimed Indian photographer, but it was the simple, carefree dogs on Ashvem beach that caught his attention and not just for a few days or months but a whole three years.
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In 2021, during the pandemic, Rohit lived in a sea-facing room at a hotel at Ashvem beach instead of his home in Goa. On his walks on the beach, he was followed by stray dogs. “As I recall, when I began shooting these pictures, 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, and my inability to articulate those thoughts even to myself. Thus, these images are the quietest, introspective work I’ve done,” says Rohit about a collection of over 10,000 photos which were narrowed down to 100 as part of the exhibition, ‘Rain Dogs’ at Aguad Port and Jail Complex, Sinquerim.
Rohit is now on his next project, documenting the Mahakumbh Mela.
Gold Lion in the Industry Craft Lions category
In 2023, at the prestigious 70th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the campaign ‘Untangling the Politics of Hair’ won the Gold Lion in the Industry Craft Lions category, a first for India. ‘Untangling the Politics of Hair’ was produced by FCB India for STIR, and was created and conceived by Rohit Chawla and Swati Bhattacharya.
“It felt good because it was not given to an Indian for 70 years and it’s a very special thing. Craft is the most precious thing. We all take a lot of pride in being rewarded for a craft because craft is the purest thing. And now, in the world of AI, I think craft is soon going to disappear from the vocabulary of the world that we knew. So, it’s precious to get something for your craft. And when you’re competing with the biggest brands in the world who spent billions of dollars and a small thing that we did could stand out. So, that feels good,” says Rohit.
