What is the latest Gajapati Kulapati picture book about?

Gajapati Kulapati, the affable elephant loved by each successful the colony helium inhabits, is facing a problem. He is incapable to sleep. His chap villagers — the flower-seller, postman, and banana-seller — marque it adjacent much hard for him to doze away. Does helium win successful getting dependable sleep? Illustrator-writer Ashok Rajagopalan’s latest successful the much-loved representation publication series, titled Gajapati Kulapati Korrrrrrrr! by Tulika Publishers, is astir the gentle elephant’s misadventures with sleep.

This is the sixth Gajapati Kulapati representation publication and the 61-year-old Ashok’s astir fashionable quality yet. The past one, Little Gajapati Kulapati Kweeeee came retired successful January 2024. While helium initially created the quality arsenic thing that would marque children laugh, helium realised implicit the years that the elephant was really “a large child”. “Which is wherefore mothers similar to work the books to their children,” says the Chennai-based Ashok, adding: “He represents their children.”

From rejoicing erstwhile schoolhouse announces a rainfall holiday, to hating baths, playing successful the mud and having tummy troubles, the elephant symbolises children. This realisation helped Ashok trade the latest rubric since occupation sleeping is cosmopolitan during childhood, particularly successful the aboriginal years. “I person a neighbour who has a two-year-old and cognize the lengths parents spell to enactment their kid to furniture connected time,” helium says.  

Ashok, who has been illustrating since 1989, says that helium archetypal visualises a publication “like a movie”. He past sets retired to penning it. After to-and-fro with editors pursuing which the last draught is ready, helium puts connected his illustrator cap. “I dainty it similar it was written by idiosyncratic else,” helium says, adding with a laughter that this gives him the liberty to “scold the author”.

For, illustrators, who often enactment connected choky deadlines, person to visualise the expansive satellite the writer creates. A task that Ashok says is not easy. Which is wherefore his sympathies are ever with the illustrator who has to bring to beingness scenes from words.

Ashok has been travelling crossed the state to enactment successful literate events the full of this year, with hardly immoderate clip for him to make anything. “I’m not a large solo traveller,” helium says, adding that connected the flip side, specified events springiness him the accidental to link with children, his readers. Ashok’s publication readings are often raucous sessions successful which the seemingly soft-spoken writer turns into a wholly antithetic mentation of himself, overmuch to the delight of the children successful his company.

But helium prefers the quiescent beingness successful the suburb of Korattur. “I’ve been present since 1978,” helium says. Long walks successful his neighbourhood and the conversations with the affable shopkeepers and tender coconut sellers are capable to marque him consciousness content. The book’s sanction excessively is simply a motion to his favourite Chennai suburb. “But determination is nary etymologic transportation betwixt [korattai which means snore] and Korattur,” helium laughs.

Gajapati Kulapati Korrrrrrrr! is being launched connected September 16, 10am, astatine Goethe-Institut, Nungambakkam. It is disposable for pre-order connected www.tulikabooks.com