Pi describes how much he loved his ordinary prayer rug, which he felt made any place he laid it feel sacred and connected to God’s creation. He recalls its simple pattern and its comforting size as he prayed.

Pi explains that he preferred praying outside and most often placed the rug in a secluded corner of the yard behind the house, shaded by a coral tree beside a bougainvillea-covered wall and potted poinsettias. He vividly remembers the colors, the birds drawn to the blooming tree, and how the scene shifted with weather and time while remaining fixed in his memory.

To orient himself toward Mecca, Pi scratches a guiding line into the pale yellow ground and maintains it carefully. Sometimes, after finishing prayers, Pi notices his father, mother, or Ravi watching him until they grow accustomed to the sight.

Pi then recounts his baptism as slightly awkward: Pi’s mother cooperates warmly, Pi’s father watches with a stony demeanor, and Ravi is absent at a cricket match but still comments at length afterward. The small beaker of water trickling down Pi’s face and neck feels intensely refreshing, like monsoon rain.