Cracking India Lesson Plan

What happens that causes Lenny to say, "Now I know surely. One man's religion is another man's poison."? Why do you think Lenny feels this way - beyond just this scene?

Lenny is walking through Lawrence Gardens with Yousaf on their way home. They pass by a Brahmin Pandit eating on the grass. The high-cast Brahmin looks at them with an expression of “terror, passion, and pain.” Lenny explains that as she and Yousaf are lower than him in the hierarchy/of a different religion, their shadow has violated his food. The Brahmin squeamishly picks up his food and throws it away, making Lenny feel like a "diseased maggot." She glances toward Yousaf, whose face is both...