The Wayfarer's Tales

  I caught sight of the image as I was walking towards the long platform that extends into the sea at Villondi Theertham – the Holy Well of the Buried Bow– in Rameswaram. It stood in the sea, a mere ten to 20 steps from the beach, waist-deep in the middle of the swirling waters. At first glance, it looked like a black stone. But as we walked further down the platform, it became apparent that this was a sculpted piece of stone – an idol. I was intrigued. What was this idol doing in the sea? At the very edge of the platform was the theertham, a fresh-water well right on the sea. Legend has it that to quench Sita’s thirst, Sree Rama drew forth a fresh-water spring from the sea by shooting an arrow into it. A small act for a God perhaps, but tinged with human tenderness. Even if the well water, which was only slightly less salty than the sea water, didn’t really hold up the story. But perhaps that was just because we had let so much harshness seep into our lives that we were no longer ...

  It was two-thirty in the afternoon. We had just puffed our way up a flight of some 25 steps to Ramar Patham – a shrine dedicated to Sree Rama’s footprints – only to find that it was closed to visitors. A few others who had arrived before us were seated on the cement verandah that circled the shrine. We found a vacant spot to one side and sat cross-legged on the floor with our backs resting against the wall. Someone seated close by announced the shrine would open at three. There was nothing to do but to sit there and wait. The shrine stood on a hillock. As I sat gazing out on a panoramic view of Rameswaram and its surroundings, I suddenly became aware of the sparrows chirping, hopping, and flying around. There were about six or seven of them. And my, what a busy bunch they were! The front wall of the shrine had a tiny square hole covered with a mesh. The sparrows took turns to try and make their way into the shrine through this hole, and even though each one failed repeatedly, t...