Over 6,500 Sri Lankans and 2,100 Indians came for the feast of St. Anthony, the patron of seafarers, on 15^th-16^thMarch, 2019. Sri Lankan Tamils and Sinhalese, after years of civil war, mingle at this pilgrimage isle and cement their fraternal bonds in the face of adversity. 

Rappai Poothokaren, SJ

The author is a former Director of Gurjarvani centre for communication and currently an environmental activist at Sevasi, Vadodara.