Siddhartha by Herman Hesse Siddhartha, the protagonist is the son of a Brahmin in India. Intelligent and self-assured,
this young lad has mastered the scriptures and has acquired a deep control over his senses. He
experiences the futility of everyday existence and takes to monkhood much against his father’s reproaches. He joins a band of traveling monks along with Govinda, his friend and ardent admirer. They engage in severe austerities and Siddhartha begins to wonder about the purpose of this self-mutilation. His restless spirit seeks richer experiences. Kamala, a prostitute goes on to teach him the spirit and the sport of love. Siddhartha takes up employment with the local trader, excels in his work because he can remain detached and plays it like a game. Slowly, he acquires the vices of drinking and gambling. And before he knows, he is sucked into the quicksand of mundane life and faces all its associated
miseries. Kamala bears his child, a son and dies on the way to meet the Buddha. Siddhartha, frustrated with his life, meets a ferryman who teaches him to learn the lessons of life from the river. Siddhartha almost regains his original composure when destiny thrusts his son into his life. He now goes through the miseries of parenting till the son abandons him and he learns to anchor his buffeting mind firmly within himself. A beautiful experience in self-unfoldment.