Gillian Wright with Mishty’s daughter Soni and her partner writer Mark Tully. Pic/Ajay Gautum

In the summer of last year, when writer-translator Gillian Wright was visiting her mum in England, she was still nursing the pain of losing her dog of nearly 14 years, Mishti. In the quiet of her home, away from the chaos of New Delhi, Gillian remembers being reeled into the many stories of her pet canine, who walked into her and partner Sir Mark Tully's life during the wee hours one morning. "Precisely 3 am," she recalls. Soon, Gillian found herself penning down these memories. Before she had realised, the cathartic exercise had translated into beautiful, short vignettes on her dog. Her new children's book Mishti: The Mirzapuri Labrador (Speaking Tiger) is an extension of Gillian's personal tale of love, loss and longing for her dog. "Mishti had immense energy and our house was full when she was there. She lived a good long life, and we had many adventures together. When she passed away last year, I felt she deserved this [tribute]," says Gillian of why she decided to write this personal account.