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Gopi's Grand Adventure: Sudha Murthy Launches New Book in The Gopi Diaries Series

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Vidhi

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3 min read

27 Jun, 2024

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In a Sunday morning event, the spotlight shone brightly on Gopi, the beloved Golden Retriever from Sudha Murthy’s cherished children’s book series, The Gopi Diaries. Fans, both young and old, eagerly gathered to witness the launch of Murthy’s latest book, "Gopi’s Day Out" (HarperCollins; Rs 399). The event was graced by the presence of Murthy’s husband, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, adding an extra touch of excitement.


"Gopi’s Day Out," the fourth installment in The Gopi Diaries, takes readers on an emotional journey as Gopi, the pampered pet, finds himself lost and confronting the harsh realities of street life.


“This book is written from Gopi’s perspective as he encounters the life of a street dog. He comes to know so many difficulties of other dogs because he’s always sheltered and pampered and has always been a VIP dog,” shared Murthy during a conversation with Shinie Antony, co-founder of the Bangalore Literature Festival.


Murthy’s deep connection with animals stems from her own upbringing in a family of farmers, where pets were always a part of life. She fondly recalled her childhood companions, Raja and Julie. Despite her husband’s initial fear of dogs, it was Gopi, originally her son Rohan Murthy’s pet, who won their hearts. “I really fell in love with him instantly. He was 5kg and today he is 48kg. I can’t even lift him anymore,” she chuckled.


Balancing reality with fiction, Murthy’s latest book intertwines true events with imaginative storytelling. “Parts of it are true but they are not sequential. For instance, one day it was Vani, a street dog who was brought in by Gopi, who went missing and I underwent the trauma of not having her in the house. That inspired the events in the book,” she explained.


Murthy, also known as the mother-in-law of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, emphasized the importance of compassion, a recurring theme in her stories. “Everybody thinks only about themselves. But this planet belongs to everyone. Birds, trees, and animals,” she said. Through Gopi’s adventures, she aims to foster empathy and responsibility in young readers. “When you grow up with animals, you understand what helplessness is. You have to grow up with compassion,” she added.


Her storytelling, rich with Indian cultural elements, fills a void she felt as a child. “I was a Kannada-medium student and it was very difficult to find good children’s books except Enid Blyton. Her books are beautiful, but they’re set in a different country. For instance, the setting of the Famous Five series in caves doesn’t work in Indian settings,” Murthy explained. “We did not have many stories in English in Indian settings like Diwali, Ganpati, and things like that. So, I probably started writing from that place, where language is simple. Something that connects to the Indian culture and is familiar.”


The launch of "Gopi’s Day Out" not only marks another milestone in Murthy’s illustrious writing career but also reinforces the importance of compassion, empathy, and the bond between humans and their furry friends. As Gopi’s new adventure unfolds, readers are sure to be reminded of the values that bind us all together.

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