Between Searching and Finding: My Tryst with Siddhartha

 I received an assignment to design a poster based on a novel. The design brief was clear - a man in meditation, a beautiful woman in the backdrop, perhaps a river and an ancient setting. In just a few lines, the client mentioned Siddhartha and Kamala, and that was enough to spark my curiosity. Thanks to Amazon’s now service, the book was in my hands within 10 minutes.

Before beginning the design, I wanted to understand them better.

Reading Siddhartha felt like sitting beside a quiet river and slowly learning how to listen. The river in the book slowly teaches that everything is one. Past, present, and future flow together; nothing is truly separate. Life’s moments are not isolated but part of a continuous whole. I learned that the art of listening is so important, not reacting, not judging, but listening so deeply that all voices merge into one sacred sound. True understanding begins in silence, so aligned to what my music practice teaches.

Siddhartha's conversation with his childhood friend was indeed inspiring. The subtle difference between searching and finding. I understood that searching is often for things we think we lack; finding is discovering what already exists within us.

“Wisdom cannot be borrowed; it has to be lived.” This is perhaps my deepest takeaway from Siddhartha. It made me reflect on how often we seek ready-made answers, hoping someone else’s understanding will save us time or uncertainty. But some truths only unfold when we experience life fully ourselves.

This book quietly reminded me that every phase of life has its own purpose. Seeking, wandering, ambition, love, loss, stillness, none of it is wasted. Even our detours shape us.

One thing, however, I found myself reflecting on differently. Through Siddhartha’s journey, it often comes across strongly that he does not need a teacher. While he acknowledges learning skills from Kamala, merchant, dice gambler, and ferryman, the narrative leans towards self-realisation without dependence on a Guru. Personally, the role of teachers in my life has been foundational in shaping not just my skills, but also my knowledge, understanding, discipline, and sensitivity. Every meaningful learning journey of mine, whether in academics, music, professional or personal life, has been guided and deepened by the presence of a teacher or mentor.

And somewhere between reading and designing, I found a little more of myself.