Poet and teacher Shruti K S has immense respect for actor Suresh Gopi's unstinted love for his late daughter. It hasn’t diminished decades after her demise. In an interview with Manorama Online, Suresh Gopi confides that after her daughter's death, he used to search for his missing daughter among all the girls he saw. Shruti shares a similar experience.
Shruti's words
I don't remember when my love for this man started. When I was a child, my mother used to buy something for me and my brother from the Guruvayoor temple. In fact, the thought of getting bangles, necklaces, and other trinkets was the reason why I loved to visit the temple.
Once my brother and I decided to buy photos of our favourite idols during one temple visit. Our intention was to stick it on the wall of our rooms. I went to the vendor and asked for a photo of Suresh Gopi and my brother wanted Sachin Tendulkar’s photo. Though my brother got his Sachin Tendulkar photo, I couldn’t find a picture of Suresh Gopi despite searching in other shops. I was so upset that I sat there and cried and declared that I won’t return without a picture of Suresh Gopi. My poor mother was in a fix. My father’s friend had a shop in the street. Seeing my mother's distress, he came to inquire. Finally, we were sent home with the promise that he would somehow bring Suresh Gopi’s photo home.
My brother stuck Sachin’s photo in the hall that very day. The photo was also a reminder of the promise my uncle never kept. More than the photo it was my brother’s triumphant look that irritated me. After a few months, my uncle came home with a photo of Suresh Gopi. And I stuck it. But then that photo was only half the size of Sachin’s picture. I was relieved that at least I got a picture.
During that time I heard a story. And it instantly made me forget all my misgivings. Once at the Thrissur railway station, Suresh Gopi was there after finishing the shoot of a film (not sure if it was 'Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha') to catch a train to Thiruvanthapuram. It was during the initial stages of his career. I was a baby then. My father and his friend who was there to drop me off and my mother went to Suresh Gopi for a chat. It is said that Suresh Gopi took the baby and affectionately fussed over her. That was all I wanted to hear. And look how much that baby has grown up!
“No matter how much you love Sachin, you haven’t been able to even see him once. And Suresh Gopi has already carried me in his arms," I used to tell my brother. And with that story, I emerged victorious in that competition. Today when I saw the interview, the memories came flooding back. Sure, we have different political ideologies and opinions, but he really has lived a beautiful life as a father. Whenever I see reality shows and such interviews, I often wonder why my eyes also well up when they cry. Here is a man who has always made me want to experience the affection he has for people.
