Three pilgrims

 I noticed these three men while on my evening walk.

One sitting on the wayside regularly sits there waiting for alms from passers by. Most walkers ignore him and he sits there most of the day. He lives with the arms he receives and sleeps in public places. A shop keeper who knows him mentioned that he has no family. He did not respond to my efforts to start a conversion with him. He is a pilgrim, alone, abandoned and living at the edge of life.

The other two men were on their journey to a temple for a spiritual experience. They walk barefooted; carry the bare minimum for the journey; and looking at them, it seems they keep some vows to be ascetic. These men make this journey on foot as a penance for their 'sins’ and to seek favour from ‘god’ through their penitence. Thee are hundreds who take this form of journey once or twice a week to some temple or the other.

Both sets of men have something in common. The first man is searching for his daily living and the other two are searching for a spiritual experience.

On my way back, it dawned on to me that this is an actual representation of the aspirations of people all around us. According to some statistics, about twenty percent of people live at subsistence level or below and about sixty percent of people are searching for meaning in life.

If it is true, then it is also the story of the neighbourhood that we live in.

I met the milk vendor who used to supply milk for us for 15 years during our stay at Vellore, who told me that since his son got a job at CMC Vellore, their lot has improved. Otherwise he had a debt to pay at the end of every month.

When we used to worship at St. Andrews Church, Egmore, Chennai, Rev. Peter Miller used to remind us in his sermons, to seek out for one person during the week who is in need-material or spiritual.

That too is also a pilgrimage. It is this pilgrimage Jesus of Nazareth talked about- the shepherd leaving the ninety nine sheep and going out to search for the one that was lost!

We are pilgrim people living among those who are on a pilgrimage!


M.C.Mathew(text and photo)