Murthy has grown up as an orthodox Brahmin. This scene creates the ambience in which he has grown up—men perform worship rituals at dawn and dusk, for instance. Such an upbringing contrasts with the ecumenical prayer meeting in Gandhi’s ashram where prayers from various religious traditions are recited. Murthy finds it difficult to accept that alongside verses from the Hindu scriptures, he has to recite verses from the Qur’an, the Parsi Avesta, the Sikh Gurbani, and the Christian Sermon on the Mount. During his 21-day stay in the ashram, he slowly begins to enjoy and recite verses from these different traditions.