An author named Dan Brown wrote a novel called The Da Vinci Code. The novel had an innovative plot and was so well-written that it became one of the all-time best sellers and catapulted Dan Brown to International fame.
Ashwin Sanghvi is an Indian author who has written this novel, which is clearly inspired by Da Vinci Code. While Da Vinci Code was about Mary Magdalene and her relationship with Jesus, this novel is centred around the life of the apostle of peace, Jesus Christ.
Da Vinci Code was a highly controversial book, which explored the theme of the marriage of Jesus with Mary Magdalene and the novel was all about the search for the Holy Grail and its link to Mary Magdalene.
In The Rozabal Line, Sanghvi resurrects a theory which states that Jesus travelled to India and spent his last days in Kashmir. In fact, Rozabal is believed to the resting place for Jesus and contains the grave where Jesus was buried. Sanghvi uses this theme and mixes it up with Indian divinity concept and even explores a theory that Jesus was inspired by Buddhism!! As you can imagine, this kind of a mixture is a heady concoction and offers a great opportunity for an author to write a masterpiece.
But unfortunately, Sanghvi disappoints and a golden opportunity for him to become another Dan Brown is lost. If this book had been as successful as Da Vinci Code, then all Indians would have been proud of an Internationally acclaimed Indian author. In fact, Sanghvi released this book in the US, under the pseudonym of Shawn Haigins, to impress foreign readers.
It is difficult to review this book without revealing too much of the plot. But I have tried my best to avoid spoilers:
Plot
The main character of this novel is Vincent Clair, a priest who keeps getting visions of his past life. He sets out to India to find out the story of his past, along with his sister Martha. A feature of this novel is the presence of a large number of sub-plots that include:
a) A terrorist organization called Lakshar-e-Talatshar which is working on a plot to end the world in December 2012. This dark organization reports to a Bin Laden type character.
b) Opus Dei, Illuminati are two mysterious organizations featured in the Da Vinci Code. These organizations play a major role in this novel too, along with new society called Crux Decussata Permuta..
c) A Japanese killer lady is on the rampage, massacring people (the author also gives us insights into her sexual exploits, no doubt to cater to a particular class of readers).
d) The Vatican is depicted in an unflattering way, which is likely to offend a lot of people.
e) Indian Intelligence agency RAW is desperately trying to unravel the terrorist plot.
f) The lineage of Jesus is mentioned in a document and the hero is trying to locate this secret document.
Timeline
The novel is set in 2012, but it includes many anecdotes from history. So the novel moves from 265 BC to 4 BC to 40 AD to 1887 to 1975 to 1985 and so on. In fact, the narration shifts moves from one era to another so fast, that if you are not following closely, you are likely to end up being thoroughly confused.
Research
The author has clearly done some very good research. His research is extensive and the bibliography at the end of the novel reveals his sources. He has taken pains to explore various facets related to the life of Jesus and has studied the works of many authors and researchers. But all his research is done through books and through websites. Dan Brown’s research had taken him to the Vatican, Paris and other places and a result Da Vinci Code is more realistic.
What upset me the most is that Ashwin Sanghvi fails to include Da Vinci Code in the bibliography. Every single concept of this book is heavily inspired by Dan Brown’s work, yet Sanghvi fails to give Brown the credit that is due to him. Probably, Sanghvi is trying to prove that his book is novel!!
Highlights of the novel
Some of the highlights and positive aspects of this novel include:
a) Narration of the various incidents that occur in the life of Christ and its relation to the main character
b) Story is well-developed and the author’s writing style is a good blend of fiction and history and keeps you interested.
c) The author blends the essence of various religions into the novel, which is interesting.
d) The author’s explanations of various symbols is interesting, though the symbols are different, the concept is a rehash of Da Vinci Code
Many cons of this novel
a) One of the major problem with this novel is that it has too many sub-plots and keeps jumping from one era to another. This makes it difficult for the reader to stay in the loop.
b) Some of the elements of the story are clearly offensive to Christianity and I felt that comparison between the life of Jesus and the apostles with the terrorists is not in good taste
c) While the first half of the novel was exciting and made be really happy to read such a good work by an Indian author, the second half was disappointing. Here is where, the novel looks like a cheap copy of Da Vinci Code. And some of the incidents to the end of the novel are too fantastic and unbelievable. Yes, this is fiction, but still things should be believable.
d) My major grouse with this novel is that the author had a chance to do something innovative and noteworthy, instead it ends up as a damp squib and a ordinary copy of Da Vinci Code
Overall opinion and recommendation
Overall the novel is worth a read. It is a good first effort by the author. Despite all its flaws, it makes for decent reading.
If you have read the Da Vinci Code, you will definitely be disappointed by the novel.
But if you have not read the Da Vinci Code, then I recommend that you read this, you will probably like this.
