Paganism Revisited, Part II: Lessons of the East

Lessons of the East

I WAS walking around the lake in the Hindu holy city of Pushkar in Rajasthan when a fat Brahman clutched my shoulder. “Come and be blessed,” he urged me. It was a lovely evening and the whitewashed ghats were turning pink. As I hesitated he pulled me down the steps to the water’s edge, grabbing a handful of white flowers on the way.

JF

About the Author

Jonathan Foreman

Mr. Foreman, a writer at large for Standpoint magazine, is based in London and New Delhi.

Lessons of the East

I WAS walking around the lake in the Hindu holy city of Pushkar in Rajasthan when a fat Brahman clutched my shoulder. “Come and be blessed,” he urged me. It was a lovely evening and the whitewashed ghats were turning pink. As I hesitated he pulled me down the steps to the water’s edge, grabbing a handful of white flowers on the way.