Evincepub Publishing proudly announces the release of Walking Each Other Home, a deeply moving work of biographical fiction by acclaimed author, poet, and educator Aditi Pant. Set against the evocative backdrop of Kumaon in the late 1940s, this lyrical novel blends lived truths with fictionalized textures to narrate the quiet but extraordinary journey of Mohan—a child orphaned at just two months old, who grew through shadows of loss, abandonment, and hardship, yet emerged with dignity, resilience, and grace.
This book is not simply a story of one man’s endurance but a mirror reflecting countless silent lives lived in the margins of society—lives that rarely find representation in mainstream narratives. Through poetic prose and profound empathy, Aditi Pant immortalizes the voice of her father, Mahanand Paliwal (Mohan), while also presenting a universal testimony of the human spirit’s refusal to succumb to despair.
About the Book
Walking Each Other Home unfolds as biographical fiction—a genre that delicately balances truth and imagination. At its heart lies the story of a child who loses his mother to untimely death at two months of age, only to be left to the indifference of a father weighed down by his own grief. What follows is a life shaped as much by absence as by endurance.
The novel opens with the chilling void left by Mohan’s mother, Madhuli, a woman whose name itself carried connotations of nourishment, fragrance, and beauty. Her passing unravels the fragile balance of family life, leaving Mohan and his siblings struggling with grief, abandonment, and survival. Mohan’s father, unable to cope, withdraws first into silence and later into physical absence, leaving the children vulnerable in a home that feels incomplete, distorted, and devoid of maternal warmth.
Yet, amidst this starkness, Pant’s storytelling finds fragments of tenderness. An elderly woman, lovingly called Nani, steps in to care for the abandoned infant, introducing him to the oral traditions, folk songs, and mystic wisdom of Kumaon. Her presence, though fragile, becomes emblematic of the quiet guardians who hold children afloat when families collapse.
The narrative traces Mohan’s childhood through vignettes that capture both harshness and hope—long days spent tending cows, being excluded by relatives, or finding solace in the rugged mountains and their whispers. Every absence—of a mother, of love, of protection—reshapes Mohan’s psyche, yet simultaneously forges resilience. As he grows, his path is marked not by dramatic victories but by survival, dignity, and the slow reclamation of selfhood.
Pant’s prose is at once poetic and visceral. The Kumaon mountains are not just a backdrop but a living, breathing entity—silent witnesses to Mohan’s journey, metaphors for endurance, and reminders of the eternal cycle of suffering and renewal. Through lush descriptions of terraced fields, forests, rivers, and folklore, she binds the personal with the cultural, the intimate with the universal.
This is not a tale of heroic triumphs but of quiet persistence—the kind of everyday heroism that millions embody but few acknowledge. It is as much a meditation on grief, family, and resilience as it is a song for the invisible lives that uphold the fabric of society.
Themes and Significance
At a time when literature often glorifies larger-than-life heroes, Walking Each Other Home turns attention to the invisible resilience of ordinary people. Its themes are layered and resonate on multiple levels:
1.Loss and Absence – The novel poignantly portrays the irrevocable void left by a mother’s death and how such absence fractures not only a child but an entire family.
2.Resilience in Silence – Rather than grand displays of rebellion, Mohan’s strength lies in enduring silently, carving out dignity where little existed.
3.Family and Abandonment – Through Mohan’s father’s departure and siblings’ struggles, Pant examines how grief reshapes relationships, often leaving children to grow prematurely.
4.Nature as Companion – The Kumaon landscape plays the role of silent healer, demanding strength while offering perspective. Its mountains, rivers, and forests parallel Mohan’s endurance.
5.Cultural Memory – Folk traditions, songs, and rituals interwoven into the story preserve a cultural memory of a bygone era, making the novel as much an archive as a narrative.
6.Hope and Healing – Despite abandonment, the novel emphasizes that resilience can sprout even in rocky soil. It affirms that meaning exists where we choose to find it.
About the Author – Aditi Pant
Aditi Pant is an award-winning educator, columnist, author, and poet whose writing seamlessly blends empathy, insight, and lyrical expression. She is a columnist for Deccan Herald where she writes the widely-read Oasis column, and she also pens spiritual stories for Masala Radio, Sugar Land, Texas.
Her literary repertoire includes:
- Zen on the Go – a celebrated debut collection of uplifting stories.
- The Turning of Seasons – a novel blending prose and poetry.
- Maya – an epistolary novel.
- The Zen Heart – further explorations into the spiritual dimensions of everyday life.
Pant’s writing is characterized by its lyrical flow, its ability to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, and its sensitivity toward human emotions. Beyond writing, she is passionate about teaching, reading, cooking, and long walks—often with a steaming cup of tea in hand.
What sets Pant apart is her ability to transform lived truths into universal reflections. By fictionalizing her father’s journey, she not only honors his memory but also gives voice to millions of silent stories of resilience.
The Title – Walking Each Other Home
The title, drawn from a spiritual metaphor, resonates with the essence of the novel: that life is not a solitary journey but a shared one. Despite differences, burdens, and losses, we are ultimately companions, helping one another navigate the terrain of existence. This philosophical undertone elevates the book from personal biography to universal allegory.
Reception and Relevance
Early readers and literary critics have described Walking Each Other Home as:
- “A lyrical testimony to the endurance of the human spirit.”
- “An ode to Kumaon’s mountains and their timeless wisdom.”
- “A tender, soulful applaud for the quiet beauty of hope.”
At a time when modern life is marked by noise, speed, and material pursuits, Pant’s work urges readers to pause and reflect on the quieter virtues—patience, resilience, and empathy.
Publishing Details
- Book Title: Walking Each Other Home
- Author: Aditi Pant
- Genre: Biographical Fiction
- Publisher: Evincepub Publishing
- ISBN: 978-93-7335-114-8
- Format: Paperback & Kindle
- Price: ₹250 (INR)
- Availability: Amazon, Flipkart, Evincepub.com, Kindle
Closing Remarks
Walking Each Other Home is more than a book; it is a conversation between generations, between grief and resilience, between silence and song. It is an archive of memory, a cultural document of Kumaon, and a spiritual meditation on endurance.
For Aditi Pant, the novel is also a deeply personal homage—an attempt to preserve her father’s memory and give voice to a life lived with dignity despite profound hardship. For readers, it is an invitation to reflect on their own lives, their relationships, and the silent resilience that sustains them.
As Pant herself writes in her author’s note, the human heart, like Kumaon’s terraced fields, “can be carved, replanted, and grown again.” This book is a testimony to that truth.
Walking Each Other Home is now available worldwide.
