Sacred Solitude: Exploring Spirituality as a Response to Alienation in Arundhati Subramaniam's "When God is a Traveller"

This paper explores the theme of spirituality as a potential response to the pervasive feeling of alienation in contemporary life, drawing insights from Arundhati Subramaniam's poetry collection, "When God is a Traveller." Through an examination of selected poems, the study investigates how the poet navigates feelings of displacement and disconnection by embracing inner journeys and a personal relationship with the divine. The analysis will delve into key concepts such as solitude, introspection, the search for meaning, the transcendence of boundaries, and the acceptance of impermanence as spiritual pathways to counter alienation. This research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of spirituality, as portrayed in Subramaniam's work, in fostering a sense of belonging and inner peace amidst the complexities of modern existence.