We, as a society, categorise everyone into major categories according to one's degree of expressiveness in public - Introverts and extroverts. What I believe is that both of the terms are highly variable to the environment in which a person is. Just to put it this way, my relatives think of me as an introvert, who thinks a lot but speak less. On the other hand, I have this habit of talking to dogs intimately, just like other talks to humans. I love asking how are they doing or what they did when I wasn't with them. And they respond, obviously not by using our language, but by responding in different ways like howling or waging their tales. Sometimes they even bite me softly on my palm or grab my pyjamas to show that I belong to them and they missed me.
I'm not an expert in understanding all the signs and symbols of the dog kingdom, just like many people claim that they have expertise in that area.
But I always wanted to write a story from a dog's point of view. I wanted to (and still want to) weave something interesting which showcased the love and loyalty of a dog towards his or her fellow human. Something like this always run in the back of my mind.
A friend of mine, who is a voracious reader, recommended this book called - 'The Gopi Diaries - coming home'. And trust me I'll always be indebted to her for recommending me this chunk of love.
The book is written by Mrs Sudha Murty, who is the chairperson of Infosys Foundation, a philanthropist, and an incredible writer. She has written some beautiful books down the years. And I have always loved her way of writing, which is simple and grasping.
Though I'm interrupting the flow of the article to write something which I genuinely feel. I think simplicity in expressing your thoughts via writing is an amazing art. When an author writes something, he or she is imbibing an image into his or her reader's mind. The more simple and gripping the writing is, the better and clear the image will form.
Getting back to the book, it is written in such a format that Mrs Murthy's dog, Gopi, is the narrator as well as the protagonist of the story. He is a beautiful golden retriever puppy and starts the story about his infancy. His pain of separation from his family when Mrs Murthy and her family bring him into their home. He expresses his confusion about the human world, their way of doing things, and their love towards him. He explains the nature of different people in the family and their attitude towards him.
I completed the book in less than an hour and felt bad to complete it so quickly. Every page I used to turn gave me a heartache. I wanted to spend more time with that book.
And when I reached the last page of the book, I discovered something magical.
After some Lovely photographs of Gopi with the Murthy family, I got enlightened with the fact that The Gopi Diaries was not a single book but a series of three books. And that made me feel satisfied.
After a couple of months, I received my much-awaited pre-order copy of 'The Gopi Diaries- Finding Love'.
In that book, the author describes the first year of Gopi with them. She elucidates all his mischievous activities. She carries forward the same narrative and tells us about the growth of her lovely puppy Gopi who is now stronger and bigger, but still is the star of the family.
Gopi has now built a more loving relationship with everyone in the family. Mr Murthy, who was a bit afraid of Gopi, has also started developing a lovely relationship with him. He is having a time of his life, playing all day and giving unlimited cuddles to the humans around him.
Now I'm desperately waiting for the third book in the series, which is expected in the early months of the year 2022.
The things I love about the book:-
1) Narrative
Writing this kind of narrative needs a lot of imagination and creativity. It's a bit easier to write from any person's point of view, Alive, Dead, or imaginative. Humans can talk and express their thoughts in various ways. But animals can't express their emotions by speaking. You need to be very observant and
Creative to write a piece of literature like this.
2) Cover page and illustrations
They generally say that one should not judge a book by its cover. But believe me or not, the first thing which attracts the reader is undoubtedly the cover page of the book. The cover page of both the books is equally expressive and beautiful, which give a hint of its contents if you look at them carefully.
And the illustrations bring life to the book.
3) Simplicity
As I have mentioned earlier also that Mrs Murthy's style of writing is very very catchy, clear, and simple. She belongs to the lobby of those evergreen authors who are known for their simple writing style. Mr R.K. Narayan and Mr Ruskin Bond are known for that similar clarity and simplicity. And I have no issue in accepting that too much-revealed philosophy as well usage of heavy words for simple narratives turns me off. This short and sweet book is the epitome of clear imagination and observation. Whether you are a dog lover or not, you'll be enjoying it thoroughly.
So here I'm sharing the links to both the books to buy.
Do comment below your thoughts and reviews about the books.
Thanks for reading
Love, Laughter, and Peace
HRN
