Sisyphus in Tamil Nadu

We have a long drive ahead of us. Even though it is only about 120 km from Madurai in southern India to Kodaikanal, we will be on the road for more than half a day in the decrepit bus of the Catholic social station. But this will finally give us time to discuss the confusing impressions with our friend and companion Selva Raj.We were on the road together with the Dalits, as the so-called “casteless” or “untouchables” call themselves. And I am still bewildered that this archaic caste system persists unbroken in the 21st century, bringing so much suffering through exclusion and exploitation. Daily! And the struggle for Dalit rights is like a Sisyphean task.

“We must think of Sisyphus as a happy man.” says Camus, and I’ve never been able to relate to that. (The quote in Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, Reinbeck 2004, p. 159f.) Selva moves his head as if to draw a transverse figure eight in the air, which in South India is equivalent to an approving nod of the head. We laugh at my cross-cultural stupidity as I explain to him that I had initially interpreted this sign as a shake of the head and thus misinterpreted it as disapproval. Selva related that a similar story is told in India. The legend tells of Naranath Branthan, who, like Sisyphus, keeps pushing a boulder up the mountain, only to be immensely pleased at the summit when it rolls back down into the valley. People therefore make a pilgrimage to the mountain of the same name in the nearby state of Kerala to the “Madman of Naranam,” whom they venerate as a saint. And Selva sums up briefly, saying that it is definitely better to laugh at the absurdity of life than to despair of it. “Well, Camus certainly understood it quite differently” I try to explain European existentialism as we travel the dusty roads of southern India. Man revolts against the meaninglessness of existence, in which he nevertheless accepts the challenge. For him, life is absurd, as we always suffer from the tension between the meaninglessness of life and our simultaneous desire to give meaning to our existence. We are left with the freedom to act, even if the grand plan does not work out and the goal is not achieved. Sartre then summed it up in one sentence, “We are condemned to freedom!”Now Selva contradicts as decidedly as laughing and refers to the Christian understanding: The formulation of Paul in the letter to the Galatians is more sympathetic to him: “You are called to freedom!” and so he ends our exchange to drink tea at a rest.

When he notices my melancholic thoughtfulness, he adds: “If you like, we can drive over to the mountain of the “Madman of Naranam” and laugh heartily about the absurdity of life. It’s good for you, and you can get back to work the next day.”