Kolkata-based author Debasree Chakraborty writes a novel about the 19 years of life of Jesus, which, according to some contemporary texts, he spent traveling extensively in the Middle East, Sindhu region and India
[Author’s Note: In the Old Testament of the Bible, there is no information about the life of Jesus for 19 years. There are some contemporary texts where eyewitnesses have stated that he traveled extensively in the Middle East and crossed the Sindhu region to enter India. Through this novel, I have tried to portray the diary of a profound spiritual journey of his life in the initial and final chapters. Foreign powers have tried to erase the history of our continent, Asia. That is why, when Notovitch returned from Hemis in Ladakh and mentioned that ancient text over 2000 years old, Max Müller sent people to Hemis to destroy that ancient manuscript. The mysterious manuscript is also mentioned in the book by Swami Abhedananda about Kashmir and Tibet. What was it that caused Max Müller so much concern over this manuscript? It is noteworthy that love cannot come into the life of the son of God, and he cannot have any children. Even the Gospels attributed to him have been confined to the secret, dark chambers of the Pope’s city, with words implanted into his mouth according to their wishes. In his name, imperialistic aggression is being carried out across the world. His only daughter, Sara, has not been recognized. His entire existence has been imprisoned. There lies an unknown chapter of his life hidden throughout the Middle East, the Sindhu region, and India. I have brought forth this history through this novel. “An Unknown Life” is in no way a novel imitating “Jesus lived in India.” This novel provides detailed descriptions of his presence across the vast land from Israel to India, not just his own, but also the mysterious narratives of many people associated with him. Was Jesus truly the founder of Christianity? If not, why must he still bear the burden of the “Roman Cross”? Is there ever to be a possibility of his release? All answers are coming. Debashree Chakraborty]
An Unknown Life
(Location: Massachusetts, Year: 2021)
In front of the living room, there is an open balcony with several wind chimes hanging inside. The wind makes the wind chimes sway, creating a tinkling sound. Last night, Omkari reached Massachusetts. She has come to meet Robert, the person living in this house. Robert’s family was previously involved in the book publishing business; it was through their publishing company, Indo-American Book Co., that “The Crucifixion” was published. In this secluded house on the green hills outside the city of Massachusetts, Robert is the only one living there. At this moment, Robert has gone to make coffee and sandwiches for Omkari. The aroma of coffee and sandwiches coming from the kitchen, combined with the sound of the wind chimes, gives Omkari a profound sense of security and peace, as if he has been waiting for a long time for such an environment. White curtains are hung on either side of the glass door of the balcony. The curtains sway in the wind, creating the illusion that white mist is gathering in the balcony. Suddenly, Omkari feels that within a golden-colored wind chime, a brilliantly bright light is being reflected, blending along with the white, transforming into a form.
A very tall person dressed in white stands, with golden hair flowing down past the shoulders. She sees many strange sights like this from time to time, but if she gives importance to all of this, she will lose his mental balance. Omkari decided to get up to normalize herself and the situation, then she slowly walked towards the balcony. Omkari felt that within the white, misty canvas, many characters from different periods of time were waiting for her, as if they wanted to share their sorrows with her. The sound of a soft clanging served as the background music to the journey of time. When Omkari reached the balcony, she stood and observed the distant green hilly valleys below, where trees with red and yellow leaves stood among the greenery. The combination of green with red and yellow created an extraordinary diversity of colors.
As Omkari was gazing in a daze at that view, suddenly a flock of white birds flew across the sky. Omkari looked at the birds, feeling as if a group of ascetics were journeying from one land to another. The reason for her arrival at this house and this particular canvas carried a very deep meaning. That morning, she had called Robert at the number given by Charles from Nora’s house. Robert informed her that his family had to flee from Chicago and close their publishing company for a very mysterious reason. “I cannot say anything about ‘The Crucifixion’ over the phone; it might bring great danger into my life.” Omkari managed to convince Robert that she had been working on the disappearance of Mahaprabhu for a long time and that she knew how to advance a great work very confidentially. Therefore, there would be no danger to Robert from Omkari; instead, Omkari could help Robert with something special. That day, Omkari spoke with Robert for a long time, and then, seeing Omkari’s eagerness, Robert felt the depth of the situation and agreed to meet her.
The smell of coffee and sandwiches seemed to be wafting towards the balcony. Robert brought a large tray and placed it on the table in one corner of the balcony. With his tall, slender figure, pointed nose, and shoulder-length golden hair, Robert resembled a reflection of a great hero from the past appearing in the present scene. For a while, there was a profound silence, with only the sound of the wind and the wind chimes breaking it. Both of them were gazing at the colorful panoramic view stretching before them. Omkari was not saying anything; today she was the listener, waiting for the right moment when Robert would tell her everything. You cannot force anyone to reveal their innermost thoughts. To truly understand a person, you need to give them some time and comfort; only then can many hidden doors of the heart open.
Omkari’s suspicion was not unfounded; after the snacks were finished, Robert began to speak on his own, “The Crucifixion” brought a curse upon my family. Ever since this book was published, we have been receiving threatening letters regularly at our house in Chicago. To tell the truth, at first, we… No one in the family took these threats seriously. We thought that perhaps the immense popularity of the book had created some jealousy among certain people. Therefore, they were trying to intimidate us to stop the publication of the book. Such hostility is often endured in business. However, our family’s belief turned out to be false when, one dark night, a member of our family was murdered and left in front of our house.”
How did you realize that this person was killed because of “The Crucifixion”?
“Because there was a letter written beside the body stating that if the publication of the book was not stopped, there would be a repetition of the same incident. At that time, everything was reported to the police and administration, and trusting them, the publication continued. However, after the second edition was completed, when the third edition came out, another member of our family was murdered in broad daylight and left on the street. This continued, but our family members remained resolute in their stubbornness. The sales of every edition of the book were happening at a fast pace. Before long, the sixth edition was released. On the day the sixth edition was released, our house was attacked deep at night. My paternal grandfather and grandmother were not at home; they had gone to visit a relative in Michigan. That night, the rest of the family members were killed.”
“You said that the police and administration were investigating these murders, so didn’t they find out who committed the murders?”
“Look, everything is controlled by the will of the state. If there is an institution that even the state respects and fears, and if that institution is committing such heinous acts, how can you expect to receive justice? It was the same here. After the publication of “The Crucifixion,” a certain religious institution’s lies had been exposed, and because of the crime of publishing this book, a conspiracy was initiated to eliminate an entire family. The surviving members of my family somehow managed to escape to Massachusetts, and they announced through an advertisement in a newspaper that they would never publish this book again and that they were closing the publishing house as well. After that, our office in Chicago was set on fire. Subsequently, the book was removed from all libraries.”
“After that, did you find any trace of this book?”
“In 1907, a woman from Massachusetts brought a copy of this book to the Congressional Library here. However, a few years later, that copy also disappeared.”
“Robert, how did your number come to Charles? You’re not connected to the book business, so it shouldn’t be possible for your name to be on Charles’s publisher list, right?”
Robert took a sip of coffee, thought for a moment, and replied, “I can see that you’ve caught me. I heard from my father that a copy of ‘The Crucifixion’ used to be in our house, but at some point, it got stolen. After my entire family perished because of this book, I felt a deep desire to revisit its intrinsic subject, so I started searching for all the books published by my publishing company. During this time, I met Charles. He deals in old books and found out about my story. That’s why he saved my phone number under my publishing company’s name.”
“I understand that, but the book that was stolen from the Congressional Library is now here in this house. You have reclaimed that family heirloom.”
Robert is silent, his cheeks and ears turning red. Omkari has learned to understand the various facets of human character while traversing the many complicated situations of life alone. Now, after talking to someone and observing their body language, he can intuitively grasp their essence.
“Robert, try to be normal. Your family’s past and this book have left you so isolated.”
Robert is looking at her.
“I’m the first person to call you to inquire about this book. By talking with me, you found harmony between my longing and the longing in your own life, which is why you agreed to meet. If it were anyone else, they might have brushed me off with false pretenses. But you are different from others; besides, just by looking at you, it seems that you have united yourself with that great man, and now your entire life, your thoughts, and your knowledge revolve around him. That’s why you couldn’t ignore my plea.”
“But how did you understand all this? You shouldn’t know that this book is with me!”
“We have another sense beyond our five senses, which we have forgotten to use. I have been practicing meditation and studying Vedanta philosophy for a long time. As a result, I can perceive the inner essence of visible images wherever I go or with whomever I talk. After coming here, I felt him in this house. Robert, I have come to you to understand this book, so please do not dismiss me like this.”
Robert stood up and said in a trembling voice, “Come with me.”
Omkari felt as if a powerful light was emanating from Robert’s body; many people come to us as guides on this mysterious journey of time, directing us on the right path. Today, Robert felt like that guide. Robert was moving forward like a bright ray of light, and she followed behind. The external form of Robert seemed to fade away, and all she could see and feel was his spiritual presence. Climbing up the wooden stairs, Robert reached the third floor, where various hand-painted pictures were hanging on the right wall of the staircase, each picture having symbolic meaning. Omkari had seen many such pictures, but these were different, containing deep significance. At the end of the staircase was a closed door. As Robert opened the door, the scent of old books filled the air. Once Robert entered the room and turned on the light, she realized that this room was Robert’s library. There were no windows, only bookshelves all around. Robert entered the room, turned to Omkari, and said, “Omkari, your name contains ‘Om’, which has drawn Jesus back to India repeatedly. I have been searching all my life to establish the true essence of his life, and you have asked about him on your own. The room you see, all the books and ancient manuscripts within it are written about him. In my long research, I have found information that requires a verification from someone who can enter India from the Middle East, to assess the truth of this information.”
Robert, extremely agitated, grabbed his hair tightly with both hands and said, “I cannot present this information in front of everyone without verifying its truth. I cannot do justice to my beloved Jesus. The true vision of Jesus’s life, hidden beneath the veil of lies, needs to be known by all.”
“Robert, why can’t you go and verify this information yourself? Why do you need someone else?”
“Because if I leave this place, all my hard work over the years will be in vain. Everything I see around me—this information—will be lost. That’s why I cannot leave this house.”
“Robert, what you say will happen. I will go to India following your path, and from every place on this route, I will gather any information I can and hand it over to you. But for all of this, I need your book, ‘The Crucifixion.'”
Omkari slowly moved closer to Robert, who was trembling, tears streaming down his eyes. Omkari came near and firmly held both of Robert’s hands, saying, “Robert, the pain you are feeling at this moment, I felt that same pain many years ago. Lies can never be concealed for long. One day, they will come to light before everyone, but the right time must come first. Perhaps that time has come, and that’s why the cosmos has brought you and me together. Don’t delay any longer; give me ‘The Crucifixion.'”
There was a profound darkness in one corner of the room, and Robert walked toward it. Omkari stood a little way off. The sound of a wooden drawer opening was heard. Robert extracted something from the drawer and then closed it. Omkari’s heartbeat was increasing. Emerging from the darkness, Robert stepped toward the light and held the book out in front of Omkari. Taking the book in his hands, Omkari flipped over the leather cover and sighed deeply, pressing the book to her chest.
Robert stepped closer and firmly held Omkari’s arms, saying, “Omkari, you must go to Alexandria first.”
“Robert, the power you have given me today makes me ready to go anywhere; I have no family ties, so I have no attachments. Today, I will write a letter to the university to request leave and will apply for a visa to Egypt.”
“You will easily obtain the visa. A historian from Alexandria will write you a letter inviting you to participate in a seminar on ancient Egyptian religion.”
“You will need to visit the house in Alexandria where the manuscript of this book was found. My friend Ali will take you there.”
“How did Ali know that the original manuscript of this book was kept in that house?”
Omkari, he has chosen you; otherwise, you would never have been able to find me. All of this is a connection. I have given you all that I can give; now when you go to Ali, he will himself give you further instructions on where to go and whom to meet afterward. At every corner along the path he took to enter India, you will find one of our representatives.
“What do you mean by our representatives?”
“I cannot tell you any more than this. After your journey, you will return to me. Then I will answer your final question.” (Continues)
Click here for Part-1, Part 2,
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Debasree Chakraborti is a renowned novel writer of Bengali language. Based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, she has done Master’s in Modern History from the Kolkata University, and authored some thirty books, mostly the novels, with historical perspective and themes. Her novel is ‘Maharaja Dahir’ that covers the history of Sindh from 662, the year of first attack on Sindh by the Arab armies till date, was published last year and translated by Nasir Aijaz into Sindhi language.