When Debanjali Lily does her music riyaz, she is never alone. “No matter where in the house Pawpins is, he will walk into my room and lie as close as possible to the strains of the tanpura emitting from my phone,” says the singer. “He finds it so soothing that he will soon drift into a deep, sound slumber.”
That’s not all. When Debanjali sings a song Pawpins likes, he flaps his ears to the rhythm! The height is when she sits to record in her in-house studio. “Once I recorded a jingle at night sent it over to the team, and went to bed. At 4am, I happened to glance at my phone after a washroom break and found a text from them asking me to record the number once again,” she recalls. “The music was fine, but the microphones had picked up an additional sound in the background — that of Pawpins snoring,” she laughs.
The Labrador has also appeared in some of Debanjali’s music videos and, along with likes, these have garnered requests from fans asking to see more of him.
Pawpins strikes a pose
During the 2024 RG Kar protests, Debanjali’s family — including her 88-year-old grandmother and their Labrador — joined the crowd at Swasthya Bhavan to stand in solidarity with the doctors. “And then a TV reporter, all glammed up for her segment, leaned in to pet Pawpins. More than happy, he gave her a vigorous lick that wiped off all the makeup on one side of her face,” laughs Debanjali. “Luckily, she was a good sport and took the soggy makeover in her stride.”
Debanjali named her dog Pawpins, as his paws would hit the floor like pins as a puppy. “The name also reminds us of Poppins, the colourful candy associated with a happy childhood,” says the girl who had a favourite Indie dog in the neighbourhood when she was little. “His name was Bonnie and the coincidence is that Pawpins’s mannerisms are just like his. In fact, even Pawpins coming to me was destiny.”
When Debanjali had decided to get a puppy, she had set her mind on Pawpins as she felt a connection with him, but the breeder had convinced her to go for a different pup in the litter — a female — saying she would be easier to manage. “On the final day when I went over, the puppy climbed onto my lap, and I brought her home, only to realise it was a he! It was Pawpins, the puppy I had wanted all along! I felt my Bonnie had come back to me.”
Brinda Sarkar