BEST IN SHOW by Karan Vaid

Winter in India is a busy time for dog enthusiasts and professional breeders. Each week thousands travel to compete in dog shows across India. The breeders spend great sums in importing pedigreed dogs, hiring professional handlers from abroad and flying these dogs to various shows across India.

Dog shows have a rich and long history in India; the first show was held in India in 1896 and flourished under the patronage of the English elite and subsequently the Indian aristocracy.

For participants today, it’s a highly competitive game with their reputation and aspirations on the line. There is usually no prize money to be had but breeding a placed dog can lead to big financial returns and many people aspire to be at the top of the dog show world in India.

If you leave passion aside, given the rich aristocratic history of dog shows, the closest reason for its existence would be pride for the most affluent members and of course aspirations of belonging for the rest. There is this celebrity like cult following among the fraternity for the best dogs and their respective kennels and it was natural to assume the role (and style) of a paparazzo and to make photographs within that “genre”.