Pi explains that the sense of community created by shared faith eventually causes trouble for him: religious leaders who once merely noticed his devotions begin to take offense. The priest questions why Pi goes to temple, the imam reports seeing Pi cross himself in church, and the pandit claims Pi has become Muslim, forcing Pi’s unaware parents to confront what Pi has kept secret.

Fate brings Pi, his parents, and the three religious leaders together on the Goubert Salai seaside esplanade on a busy, cheerful Sunday afternoon. As the priest, imam, and pandit converge at the same moment, Pi’s dread rises because he realizes his double and triple religious life is about to be exposed in public.

Pi pauses to describe his family’s largely secular attitude. Pi’s father sees himself as modern and nonreligious, treating temple blessings and zoo shrines as practical public relations for business. Pi’s mother is neutral, her Hindu upbringing and Baptist schooling leaving her calmly irreligious, while Pi’s brother Ravi is uninterested in religion.

In front of Pi’s parents, the priest proudly calls Pi a Christian boy, the imam insists Pi is a devoted Muslim, and the pandit declares Pi Hindu by birth and destiny. The three men argue fiercely, trading insults about miracles, idols, caste, colonialism, and each other’s beliefs, until they nearly come to blows.

Pi’s father interrupts and reminds them of freedom of practice, but the three leaders agree Pi must practice only one faith and demand that Pi choose. Pressured into answering, Pi cites Gandhi—“All religions are true”—and says he only wants to love God, which leaves everyone embarrassed and quiet. Pi’s father defuses the moment by proposing ice cream; the religious leaders withdraw, and Pi’s parents walk on in unusual silence, as Pi calls this his introduction to interfaith dialogue.