I have this funny dog called Imli (tamarind in Hindi). She is beautiful and acts like a goat, with a free-spirited, wild nature. She wants to eat grass, and even looks a bit like a goat.
She holds a very important place in my life. Every time I photograph an animal, I think of her. I took this picture of the happy goat on a work trip in Rajasthan.
I’d been watching it jump around, and all I could think of was my sweet little dog and how she also behaves in an unpredictable way. I’m drawn towards animals; I like their company and spending time with them. The scene before me looked like a painting.
I quickly took out my camera and snapped the photo. I love the colour, the moment, the light in the picture. It was fresh morning light, and the goat’s coat was beautifully white against the green bedding.
I’ve come across many people in my travels through rural India who have animals, such as goats or buffalo, at home as if they are a part of the family. People keep them out of love or fondness. They give them human names, nurture them, perform rituals and dress them in fabrics and jewellery specially made for animals.
It’s a tender transaction whereby both animal and human take care of each other. I love this idea of coexistence. Even though animals can’t say a word, I understand so much about my adopted dog, and she can read my feelings and gestures.
I work as a fashion photographer but this photo is part of an ongoing personal series which documents this coexistence of humans and animals. I feel this relationship is underrated and undervalued, and now seems to be fading away. People tend to look out for themselves and can only appreciate or value something they feel gives them something they need.
We are losing our sense of community. There is so much brutality that happens because humankind is becoming more selfish. As told to Sarah Johnson Naveli Choyal is a photographer, fashion and jewellery designer , art director and stylist based between Delhi and Ajmer in Rajasthan, India.
She uses images to narrate stories of everyday life and talk about the relevance of culture, craft and tradition in today’s modern and fast-paced lifestyle.
