In Bengal, for the first time, a magazine on dogs

Kolkata resident Sanchita Pal has launched Vow Vow, the first Bengali magazine on man's best friend. The inaugural issue sold over 1,000 copies, and the magazine is priced at ₹55. It features content on treatments, diet, and grooming for dogs. Money earned goes to her NGO, Chandannagar Sparsh Animal Protection and Welfare Society. Many subscribers are showing off their copies on social media. Pal is happy that many people care for their dogs.

Sanchita Pal has put her love for dogs in print — literally. This 34-year-old resident of Chandannagar has come out with what can easily be the first Bengali magazine on man’s best friend.

The inaugural issue of Vow Vow, a launched as a trimonthly, came out in September and sold over 1,000 copies — something that was beyond Ms. Pal’s expectation. “I had to print it thrice. We first sold 500 copies straightaway, then we printed another 350 copies and then yet another 250, because people kept asking for it. For the December issue, we are going to print 1,000 copies in one go,” Ms. Pal told The Hindu.

The magazine is priced at ₹55 and can be ordered online — even though the content is not available online — with an yearly subscription or four issues costing ₹380 (including shipping).

“Since 2013, my husband Picaso and I have been working for the voiceless strays in Chandannagar. We feed 350-400 stray dogs on a daily basis. We also arrange for treatment for the dogs that who need it. Our terrace, for that matter, is a dog shelter — it houses nine dogs in all, six of which are physically challenged, and three that were rescued,” Ms. Pal, who is engaged with the stock market but is passionate about writing, having contributed travel pieces to Bengali little magazines over the years, said.

“Even since I was a child, it had been my dream to own a magazine, maybe a little magazine. This dream came from visiting the Kolkata Book Fair every year. Finally, in 2023, this idea struck me. It occurred to me that there is so information about dogs — especially those related to treatment, training and grooming — that is not easily available on Google. So I thought, why not start a magazine? Fortunately, I found two sponsors (the local branch of the Bhooter Raja Dilo Bor chain of eateries, and Techno India Group Public School), and put together a small team,” Ms. Pal said.

She added that among the features that got the best response from readers were those on treatments, diet, and grooming for dogs. “There are so many things that pet owners do not know. We want to tell them all that. We want to be a useful magazine,” she said. The money earned, she said, would go to her NGO, the Chandannagar Sparsh Animal Protection and Welfare Society, which cares for street dogs and is also the publisher of Vow Vow.

Many subscribers are already showing off their copies on social media. One subscriber shared pictures of his dog “reading” the magazine. “The fact that we sold more than 1,000 copies makes me happy not so much because of the sale but because so many people care for their dogs,” Ms. Pal said.