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.