The Rozabal Line

Last updated
The Rozabal Line
The Rozabal Line.jpg
The Rozabal Line, Published by Westland Ltd., 2008
Author Ashwin Sanghi
Language English
Genre Thriller, crime, mystery fiction, Historical Fiction
Publisher First Edition: Lulu Press (US)
Revised Edition: Westland Ltd. (India)
Publication date
24 September 2007 (US)
10 November 2008 (India)
Publication place India
Media type Print & Paperback
Pages311 (US Lulu Press Edition)
373 (India Westland Edition)
ISBN 978-1-4303-2754-7 (US Lulu Press Edition)
ISBN   978-81-89975-81-4 (India Westland Edition)
OCLC 228506596

The Rozabal Line is a thriller fiction novel by Ashwin Sanghi written under the pseudonym "Shawn Haigins". It follows the alternate religious history of Jesus having survived the crucifixion and settled down in India. The title refers to the Rozabal shrine in Srinagar in Kashmir, which some (such as Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement, in 1899) have asserted is the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. The historical basis is derived from several other books on the subject including Jesus Lived in India by Holger Kersten [1] and The Unknown Life of Jesus by Nicolas Notovich.

Contents

Plot summary

A cardboard box is found on a shelf in a London library. When the mystified librarian opens it, she screams before she falls unconscious to the floor. Within the labyrinthine recesses of the Vatican, a beautiful assassin of Asian origin swears she will eliminate all who do not believe in her twisted credo.

An elite army of thirteen calling itself the Lashkar-e-Talatashar has scattered around the globe. The fate of its members curiously resembles that of Christ and his Apostles. Their agenda is Armageddon.

A Hindu astrologer spots an approaching conjunction of the stars and nods to himself in grim realization of the end of the world. In Tibet, a group of Buddhist monks searches for reincarnation, much in the way their ancestors searched Judea for the Son of God. In strife-torn Kashmir, a tomb called Rozabal holds the key to a riddle that arises in Jerusalem and gets answered at Vaishno Devi.

An American priest, Father Vincent Sinclair has disturbing visions of people familiar to him, except that they seem to exist in other ages. Induced into past-life regressions, he moves to India to piece together the violent images. Shadowing his every move is the Crux Decussata Permuta, a clandestine secret society which would rather wipe out creation than allow an ancient secret from being disclosed.

Author/Editions

Ashwin Sanghi Ashwin Sanghi-5.jpg
Ashwin Sanghi

The Rozabal Line is a thriller spanning continents and centuries, with Ashwin Sanghi, under the pseudonym Shawn Haigins, telling a story that goes back to the time of the birth of Abrahamic religions. It was originally published in 2007, and a revised edition was published by Westland Ltd. & Tranquebar Press in 2008 under the author's own name, after some commentators such as Humra Quraishi said that the book should have been published under Sanghi's real name. [2] [3]

According to Tehelka , one of India's news magazines, The Rozabal Line is "a thriller that inquires into the controversial claim that Jesus Christ travelled to India and was buried in Kashmir's Rozabal Tomb". [4]

The Hindu , one of India's National dailies, says that "The book deals in greater depth with the issue of Christ’s union with Mary Magdalene touched upon by The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown as well as incorporating postulates of several other books, including Jesus Lived in India: Life Before and After the Crucifixion by Holger Kersten and Jesus Died In Kashmir: Jesus, Moses and The Ten Lost Tribes Of Israel by Andreas Kaiser". [5] After the novel was published, due to attention drawn to the site by others as well as the story told in the book, there was a large upsurge of visitors to the Rozabal shrine in Srinagar. [6]

Pradeep Sebastian of The Hindu wrote, "And so The Lost Symbol comes two years too late. Conspiracy thrillers swamped the market, reaching even Indian shores with The Rozabal Line, and offered us so much meat, that we couldn't relish chewing anymore." [7]

At a talk delivered in Chennai, the author said, "We assume the different faiths are distinctly different, but once you start tracing back the roots of their beliefs, you find their origins are much closer that you might imagine." [8] Irrespective of the controversial theme surrounding his book, the author has continuously maintained that his book is a work of fiction [9] and should be read as a fiction conspiracy thriller. [10] In an interview to a leading tabloid, the author was asked: "Do you believe that Jesus lived in India?" To this he replied, "I don't think it's in any way relevant if he came here or not. But do I wish it was true? Yes, completely. Isn't that such a romantic notion?" [11] MV Kamath, leading commentator, has said that the book is "provocative, but certainly commanding attention." [12]

The book went repeated printing runs. [13] and it currently being converted into a screenplay. [14]

The ongoing controversial nature of the story surrounding the tomb, as promoted by various people such as those of the Ahmadiyya movement and as also explored in this book, resulted in the site being closed down to visitors, particularly after Lonely Planet detailed the tomb. [15]

Similarities to the 2008 Mumbai attacks

The Hindustan Times was the first to point out that Sanghi's novel bore several similarities to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. [16] In particular, Sanghi's novel spoke of an attack by the Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist terror group based in Pakistan controlled Kashmir. It also spoke of the Lashkar spinning off an ultra-elite group of twelve commandos, similar to the Deccan Mujahideen. The plot of The Rozabal Line used a ship off the coast of Gujarat as well as a Thuraya satellite phone besides describing the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower as the residence of one of the main characters in the story. Sanghi also described the group as being controlled by the Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan without the knowledge of the Pakistani president. All these elements were purportedly present in the November 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks. Consequently, The Hindu included The Rozabal Line among its top fiction picks [17] while The Telegraph included The Rozabal Line among its top "Paperback Pickings". [18]

The author has clarified in a subsequent interview that he was unhappy about the commonalities [19] although he readily agrees to being called a "conspiracy theorist". [20]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Kersten, Holger. Jesus Lived in India. London: Element, 1986. ISBN   0-906540-90-9
  2. ↑ Kashmir Times, "Signs of the Times" by Humra Quraishi [ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ Ashwin Sanghi. The Rozabal Line. 2008. ISBN   978-81-89975-81-4
  4. ↑ Tehelka, November 1, 2008
  5. ↑ The Hindu, NxG, November 27, 2008
  6. ↑ The Telegraph, Kolkata, April 3, 2010
  7. ↑ Deccan Herald, Bangalore, August 10, 2009
  8. ↑ The Hindu, Chennai, May 11, 2009.
  9. ↑ "A fiction on Jesus", The Indian Express, Chennai, May 11, 2009.
  10. ↑ "'History with conspiracy sells'", Deccan Chronicle, Chennai, May 12, 2009.
  11. ↑ Mid-Day, Mumbai, March 7, 2009.
  12. ↑ Organiser, New Delhi, February 22, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Winning Words", The Telegraph, Kolkata, July 26, 2009.
  14. ↑ "The Hindu : New Delhi News : Entrepreneur by day, novelist by night". The Hindu . 2010-08-23. Archived from the original on 2011-01-20. Retrieved 2010-09-02., The Hindu, New Delhi, August 23, 2010
  15. ↑ "Holy row in Kashmir over 'Jesus tomb'", Asia Times Online, May 22, 2010]
  16. ↑ Hindustan Times, Kokata, "Premonition of Evil?" by Satarupa Basu, December 7, 2008
  17. ↑ The Hindu, Metro, December 11, 2008
  18. ↑ The Telegraph, Kolkata, December 12, 2008
  19. ↑ The Times of India, "Crossing the Line", Chennai, May 10, 2009
  20. ↑ "Times of India, Bangalore, August 15, 2010". Archived from the original on August 20, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2010.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lashkar-e-Taiba</span> Pakistani Islamist and militant organization

Lashkar-e-Taiba is a terrorist group formed in Pakistan, and a militant and Islamist Salafi jihadist organisation. Described as one of Pakistan's "most powerful jihadi groups", it is most infamous outside Pakistan. The organisation's primary stated objective is to merge the whole of Kashmir with Pakistan. It was founded in 1985–1986 by Hafiz Saeed, Zafar Iqbal Shehbaz Abdullah Azzam and several other Islamist mujahideen with funding from Osama bin Laden during the Soviet–Afghan War. It has been designated a terrorist group by numerous countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mylapore</span> Neighbourhood of Chennai

Mylapore, or Thirumayilai, is a neighbourhood in the central part of the city of Chennai, India. It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city. The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the celebrated Tamil philosopher Valluvar, and the Hindu saint and philosopher, Peyalvar. It is also believed by Christians to be the place of martyrdom of St. Thomas the Apostle, who preached along the Malabar Coast, and established the Malankara Nasrani community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Sarah</span> Patron saint of the Romani ethnic group

Saint Sarah, also known as Sara-la-Kâli, is the patron saint of the Romani people in Folk Catholicism. The center of her veneration is Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, a place of pilgrimage for Roma in the Camargue, in Southern France. Legend identifies her as the servant of one of the Three Marys, with whom she is supposed to have arrived in the Camargue. Saint Sarah also shares her name with the Hindu goddess Kali who is a popular deity in northern India from where the Romani people originate. The name "Sara" itself is seen in the appellation of Durga as Kali in the famed text Durgasaptashati. Despite her popular veneration amongst Romani Catholics, she is not considered a Saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roza Bal</span> Shrine located in the Khanyar quarter in downtown area of Srinagar in Kashmir

The Roza Bal, Rouza Bal, or Rozabal is a shrine located in the Khanyar quarter in downtown area of Srinagar in Kashmir, India. The word roza means tomb, the word bal means place. Locals believe a sage is buried here, Yuz Asaf, alongside another Muslim holy man, Mir Sayyid Naseeruddin.

<i>The Da Vinci Code</i> 2003 novel by Dan Brown

The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel Angels & Demons. The Da Vinci Code follows symbologist Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu after a murder in the Louvre Museum in Paris entangles them in a dispute between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus and Mary Magdalene having had a child together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Mumbai attacks</span> Terrorist attacks in India

The 2008 Mumbai attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, carried out 12 shooting and bombing attacks lasting four days across Mumbai. The attacks, which drew widespread global condemnation, began on Wednesday 26 November and lasted until Saturday 29 November 2008. A total of 175 people died, including nine of the attackers, with more than 300 injured.

Attribution of the 2008 Mumbai attacks were first made by the Indian authorities who said that the Mumbai attacks were directed by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants inside Pakistan. American intelligence agencies also agree with this attribution. Pakistan initially contested this attribution, but agreed this was the case on 7 January 2009. To back up its accusations, the Indian government supplied a dossier to Pakistan's high commission in Delhi. The Pakistan government dismissed the dossier as "not evidence," but also announced that it had detained over a hundred members of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a charity linked with Lashkar-e-Taiba. In February 2009, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik agreed that "some part of the conspiracy" did take place in Pakistan.

Hindu terrorism, sometimes called Hindutva terror or, metonymically, saffron terror, refer to terrorist acts carried out on the basis of motivations in broad association with Hindu nationalism or Hindutva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashwin Sanghi</span> Indian writer

Ashwin Sanghi is an Indian writer. His novels include The Rozabal Line, Chanakya's Chant, The Krishna Key, The Sialkot Saga, Keepers Of The Kalachakra, The Vault of Vishnu, and The Magicians of Mazda.

During and immediately after the 2008 Mumbai attacks the news media worldwide broadcast incorrect factual information on a scale often seen in a fog of war. Erroneous reporting on the 2008 Mumbai attacks included false information concerning the number of attackers, their nationality, their organizational affiliations, origins, and the methods of transport they had used. Theories and speculations were openly aired by various commentators that were later proved to be wrong. Many such speculations, such as the involvement in the attacks of the "Deccan Mujahideen", were widely reported by media worldwide. Various news outlets carried opinion pieces and unattributed theories about the origins of the attackers which were unfounded.

Holger Kersten is a German writer on myth, legend, religion, and esoteric subjects. He is best known for speculative books about time Jesus spent in India. Kersten's views have received no support from mainstream scholarship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Headley</span> Convicted American terrorist, co-plotter of the 2008 Mumbai attacks

David Coleman Headley is an American terrorist. He is known for assisting the Pakistan-based Islamist group Lashkar-e-Taiba in planning the 2008 Mumbai attacks; providing multiple surveillance and terrorist reconnaissance missions throughout central Mumbai.

<i>Chanakyas Chant</i> Book by Ashwin Sanghi

Chanakya's Chant (2010) is a novel written by Indian author Ashwin Sanghi. It was written two years after his first novel The Rozabal Line (2008) was released in India. Chanakya's Chant was released on 26 January 2011 and entered all major Indian national bestseller lists within two months. It reached #1 on India Today's bestseller list on 4 April 2011. On 19 June 2011, UTV Software Communications announced that it had acquired the movie rights of the novel.

<i>The Krishna Key</i>

The Krishna Key is a 2012 anthropological thriller by Indian author Ashwin Sanghi and is his third novel. The book follows a history professor who has to prove his innocence against a murder charge.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is a franchise cricket team based in Chennai, India, which plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL). They were one of the nine teams that competed in the 2012 Indian Premier League. They were defeated by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the final at Chennai. Thus, they qualified for the 2012 Champions League Twenty20 where they could not progress past the group stage.

The 2013 Indian Premier League final was a day/night Twenty20 cricket match played between the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians on 26 May 2013 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata to determine the winners of the 2013 Indian Premier League, the sixth annual season of the professional Twenty20 cricket tournament in India. Mumbai defeated Chennai by 23 runs, attributed to Kieron Pollard's unbeaten innings of 60 runs from 32 balls which earned him the man of the match award.

The 2011 Indian Premier League final was a day/night Twenty20 cricket match played between the Chennai Super Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore on 28 May 2011 at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai to determine the winner of the 2011 Indian Premier League, an annual professional Twenty20 cricket league in India. It ended as the defending champion Super Kings defeated the Royal Challengers by 58 runs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mai Mari da Ashtan</span> Possible burial location of Mary, mother of Jesus

In recent Ahmadi Muslim belief, the Mai Mari da Ashtan is the burial place of Mary, mother of Jesus, at one extremity of Muree in Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satyarth Nayak</span> Indian author and screenwriter (born 1981)

Satyarth Nayak is an Indian author and screenwriter, known for his bestselling novel The Emperor's Riddles, authoring the biography of Sridevi and for scripting Sony's historical television epic Porus. The Emperor's Riddles turned out to be a bestselling thriller with the media calling it "a hit with young readers". Porus created by Swastik Productions was one of the most expensive and acclaimed shows on Indian television. Satyarth's biography of screen legend Sridevi titled Sridevi: The Eternal Screen Goddess published in 2019 by Penguin Random House also went on to win high praise. Satyarth has been named one of the Top 50 Indian authors to follow on social media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuhin Sinha</span> Indian novelist, journalist and BJP spokesperson

Tuhin Amar Sinha is an Indian author of political thrillers, romance novels and non-fiction works. Since 2016, he has been a spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.