▁was ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 1 ▁European ▁languages ▁and ▁won ▁the ▁Los ▁Angeles ▁Times ▁Art ▁Se iden baum ▁award ▁for ▁first ▁fiction . ▁This ▁novel , ▁with ▁some ▁aut obi ographical ▁stra ins , ▁is ▁a ▁bild ungs rom an . ▁The ▁narr ative ▁begins ▁with ▁the ▁nin ete en ▁year ▁old ▁protagon ist ▁Sam ar ▁coming ▁to ▁the ▁city ▁of ▁Var an asi ▁from ▁Al la hab ad . ▁A ▁large ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁novel , ▁including ▁its ▁end , ▁is ▁set ▁in ▁Var an asi . ▁Grad ually , ▁he ▁real izes ▁that ▁the ▁city ▁is ▁a ▁site ▁for ▁mystery . ▁In ▁his ▁quest ▁for ▁knowledge , ▁Sam ar ▁moves ▁from ▁place ▁to ▁place , ▁but ▁in ▁the ▁closing ▁section ▁he ▁comes ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁city ▁for ▁the ▁last ▁time . ▁Thus , ▁the ▁narr ative ▁ends ▁where ▁it ▁had ▁begun . ▁His ▁book ▁An ▁End ▁to ▁S uffer ing : ▁The ▁Bud d ha ▁in ▁the ▁World ▁( 2 0 0 4 ) ▁mix es ▁mem oir , ▁history , ▁and ▁philosophy ▁while ▁attempting ▁to ▁explore ▁the ▁Bud d ha ' s ▁relev ance ▁to ▁contemporary ▁times . ▁T empt ations ▁of ▁the ▁West : ▁How ▁to ▁be ▁Modern ▁in ▁India , ▁Pakistan ▁and ▁Bey ond ▁( 2 0 0 6 ), ▁describes ▁M ish ra ' s ▁travel s ▁through ▁K ash mir , ▁Bol lywood , ▁Afghan istan , ▁Tib et , ▁Nep al , ▁and ▁other ▁parts ▁of ▁South ▁and ▁Central ▁Asia . ▁M ish ra '