Travel classic: Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God

Jonah Blank, an American, travelled through India in the early ‘90s, retracing the steps of Lord Rama as had been described in the Ramayana. I had read his travelogue, Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God, more than a decade ago. I must admit that most of his insights may be dated since India has changed so dramatically in the last 20 years. But nobody can deny the sheer passion that Mr Blank has for India and for the Ramayana. Two things which Blank wrote have remained with me over the years. Quoting Lord Rama, Blank said that amongst the greatest sinners on earth are ‘those who quarrel with others about their respective faiths and gods’. The other was when Blank made an even more philosophical point at the end of his book  — “There is a love which, by joining human with human, also joins the human with the divine. This is the love that Ram and Sita shared, this is the love that keeps India alive. The arrow of Cupid strikes deep, but not so deep as the Arrow of God.”  Beautiful.

Amish Tripathi is the bestselling author of the Shiva Trilogy.