PESHAWAR: Speakers at an event here on Wednesday said that 100-year-old novel ‘Siddhartha’ was liked by readers as its themes were still relevant.

Authored by noted German writer Herman Hesse, the novel focuses on self-discovery.

“Written in 1922 with a setting in ancient India, the story of the fiction book revolves round the spiritual journey of a young Brahmin, named Siddhartha, to seek enlightenment.

He left his comfortable life but after meeting several misguided teachers on the way, he finally realised that true enlightenment could be found within oneself,” said a participant of the event.

Speakers laud book for focusing on self-discovery

The event was arranged under the auspices of ‘Bacha Khan Fellow Study Circle’ (BKFSC) at Bacha Khan Markaz. A large number of students, rights activists, literati and book lovers turned up at the event.

Opening the debate, Sajid Iqbal, the managing director of Bacha Khan Trust Educational Foundation (BkTEF), said that despite criticism, Siddhartha remained a powerful and thought-provoking novel that captivated readers for decades.

He said that its themes of self-discovery, spirituality and search for meaning in life continued to resonate with readers for all ages. “Whether one is interested in philosophy, spirituality or a simply a good story, Siddhartha is a book that is worth reading,” said Mr Iqbal.

Dr Mohammad Shahzad said on the occasion that apart from self-discovery and search for meaning in life, the author had also emphasised the importance of personal experiences and realisation that true wisdom could only be gained through lived experiences.

Shahabuddin Khan, another participant, said that after passing through several phases in life, Siddhartha eventually realised that material possessions and worldly pleasures would not bring him the spiritual fulfilment he sought.

Prof Fazl Rahim Marwat, the director of Bacha Khan Markaz, said that the word Siddhartha was made up of two words in Sanskrit language.

He said that Siddha meant ‘attained’ and ‘Artha’ meant ‘what was searched for, which together meant “he who found meaning of existence” or “he who attained his goals”.

He said that youth should learn a lesson from the story of Siddhartha to come out of the comfort zone to achieve the goals of peace with constant struggle like Bacha Khan, who sacrificed his entire life to serve human beings without any worldly returns.

Riaz Ghafoor, Shahkar Mohammadzai, Azizullah Karwan and Imtiaz Ahmad also spoke at the event.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2023