The Garden of Solitude  (English, Paperback, Gigoo Siddhartha)

The Garden of Solitude is the debut novel by the Kashmiri author, Siddhartha Gigoo. It is the moving story of a Kashmiri Pandit family driven away from the Valley due to armed rebellion and political chaos.

Summary of the Book

Sridar, a young Kashmiri Pandit boy moves to Jammu with his family like several others from the Valley. He misses his home dearly and is surrounded by thousands of Pandits of an entire generation are quietly fighting estrangement and isolation. Young Sridar finds his solace in writing and leaves Jammu to pursue his passion. He decides to write a book on Pandit migration as his longing for home takes him back to Kashmir. He makes earnest attempts to find reasonable answers, if any, to questions that haunt his existence, including why a once prospering community of Pandits has now become alienated.

About Siddhartha Gigoo

Siddhartha Gigoo is a Kashmiri author who was born in Srinagar in 1974. He moved out of Kashmir in 1990 due to the political uncertainty in the region. He studied English Literature degree at Jawaharlal Nehru University and is now working for Tata Consultancy Services. He currently lives in New Delhi with his wife and daughter. Siddhartha has compiled two poetry books titled: Fall and Other Poems and Reflections.