I tried to find an ideal , true, unselfish, imitable, dependable leader and a sublime book. I read several books many times over . It was the Bible ( the New Testament) that attracted me most. There were reasons for it. Time is divided into BC and AD - the time before Christ and the time after Christ. We never refer to anything before or after something that did not exist. From this I understood that Christ truly lived and that he was a historical personality.

It is Christ’s life that is the content of the New Testament- the historical book that those who were with him wrote about his life and actions after his death.

Khoemini promised crores for the head of Salmon Rushdie for his book "Satanic Verses". Does this not prove that believers will oppose and destroy all that is against their faith, all that blackens the content of their faith even in this age when progress seems to have reached its zenith?

In the New Testament, we find several instances when the Jewish people and the priestly class are severely criticised and are represented in an unfavourable light. The Jews have proved themselves to be unconquerable from the beginning of the world and have observed the law that enjoined "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," meticulously and literally in daily life. Would such a people have permitted the Bible to be circulated if those things mentioned in it and which touched the core of their being, were not true? Jesus, who spoke openly of the truth, was crucified and killed by the Jews. They crucified him but did not deny the facts recorded there. Christianity spread throughout the world and the Bible was circulated. The fact that such powerful people did not deny the contents of the Bible, is a great proof that the Bible is a true, historical book. It is a book that has stood the test of time. There is no other book of the kind in the whole world. My thoughts ran along these lines.

Is it not a historical truth that the cowardly disciple St Peter, who denied Christ when he was captured, the apostle St Thomas, who insisted that he would not believe that Christ had risen unless he touched him, and several others, who, in the light of clear experience and evidence, believed and emulated Christ after his resurrection, and suffered persecution and death for his sake? If there were no clear experience and evidence, would those who were cowards and skeptics, knowing they would be persecuted and no material benefit would result from their adherence to Christ, still pursue the footsteps of the Master and sacrifice their life for him?

Questions and reflections that confirmed the uniqueness of Christ began gaining strength in my mind.

How many proofs there are to show Christ is the most sublime, pacifist revolutionary, and a holistic liberator, greater than any other the world has ever seen! At a time when other religious tenets like the Jewish law of an eye for an eye, destruction of the enemy and annihilation of the evil one, were prevalent, here is one who advised to love the enemy, to show the left cheek when you get a blow on the right, and practised it in his own life. He broke the law to stone a sinner to death and instead forgave him. He was the selfless one, who washed the feet of the disciples and prayed in his dying moments for forgiveness for those who had crucified him, one who sacrificed himself for the sake of principles, one who rose from the dead as he had foretold. Are not all these true?

This is what Vivekanandan has spoken about him. "If I, as an oriental, am to worship Jesus of Nazereth, there is only one way left to me; that is to worship Him as God and nothingelse." [Swami Vivekananda on Lord Jesus Christ - published by:- The President, Rama Krishna Matha, Mylapore, Madras].

An ideal leader who was honest, unselfish, reliable! Achieving wealth, position, honour and comfort- none of these was his purpose in life. Rather , his goal was to uplift those who were in physical, mental, financial or any other kind of suffering and to teach mutual love. He has also advised us about the duties we have to fulfil in life. He sacrificed his life for his principles, his purposes, his ideals. His life was his witness. I have never come across such a great and noble leader as Christ, or a true historical book which has stood the acid test of time as staunchly as the Holy Bible!