Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths They Bury, EXCERPT
Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths They Bury
In this searing memoir, Chanchal Garg reveals the spiritual and sexual abuse that shattered her sense of self and forced her to question a life defined by duty and sacrifice. Raised as a devoted Indian daughter, she was taught never to question authority-until a transformative moment during a yoga class, while pregnant with her daughter, awakened a truth she could no longer ignore.
That realization set her on a solitary journey, as she lost her faith, community, and the life she had always known. Without the support she had once relied on, she had to learn to trust herself, reclaim her bicultural identity, and redefine what it meant to be both Indian and American-on her own terms.
Unearthed is a powerful call to every woman who has ever felt silenced-an invitation to trust your inner voice, reclaim your story, and return to yourself.
EXCERPT
As I struggled through this on my own over the next few weeks, I began taking steps to remove Babaji from my life. I needed to tell my father about the rape and abuse I had endured. Unfortunately, much like my mother, he didn’t seem to understand. His reaction left me frozen once again, unable to find the strength or words to explain myself in a way that might truly be heard.
It was becoming painfully clear that I would have to walk this path alone, no matter how much I wished for someone to stand beside me.
About a month after I told my mother, I took down the many pictures of Babaji in my home. I looked through all my old journals and boxes of photographs and removed all remnants of him that I could find. As I thought of what I wanted to do with it all, I knew that the trash can in our backyard was not enough. I did not want his energy anywhere near me, especially as I disposed of it.
While I took these steps, fear began creeping up inside me. I had always thought of Babaji as equivalent to God and therefore extremely powerful. Though I had started to acknowledge his blasphemous ways, I could still feel his power. I felt him watching as I gave him up and removed him from my life. The image of a wild boar with long curved tusks charging at me kept flashing through my mind. I knew that I had to find the right place to dispose of all the things that this demon’s energy inhabited.
Finally, it came to me. The dumpster behind the casino.
Thankfully, Arjun was at my mother’s house and Sanjay was away on business, giving me the space to do what I needed to do. I packed up all the pictures I had just taken down and loaded them into my car. With only six weeks left until my baby’s arrival, I refused to let remnants of my abuser linger in my home. I wanted my daughter to enter a space free from his presence, even in the smallest form.
I loaded the last photograph into the trunk and looked around to make sure no one was watching me. I got into the driver’s seat, shut the door, and started the ignition, making each small action intentional and deliberate. As I drove the short fifteen-minute journey, I felt an eerie sense of being watched. I had packed all the pictures of this man into my car facing down so that I didn’t have to see his eyes. It didn’t matter though—they were there, and I couldn’t escape them. I took full, deep breaths as I balanced my speed with awareness. Finally, I pulled up behind the building and noticed my hands were shaking.
I got out and walked to the back of my car, glancing around to make sure I was alone. My hands still trembled, and my whole body felt weak. I wasn’t sure if I had enough strength to open the trunk. When, finally, the latch released and the trunk opened, books and photographs spilled out onto the ground. Impulsively, I scooped up armfuls of these mementos and began throwing them into the dumpster. I felt a surge of rageful power rising within my body and I used it to thrust the large, framed pictures of my abuser into the casino trash. As I threw the last frame in, it bounced and flew—almost impossibly—out of the trash. This was the large photograph that I had kept on my altar, the one I had worshiped. The glass cracked and shattered across the cement. Hesitantly, I picked up the frame and photo and threw it back into the dumpster. It landed this time.
Shivering, I looked around again to see if anyone was there—if anyone was watching.
I was alone.
I got back into my car and drove home, taking deep breaths all the way. Up to this point, when I felt fear, I called upon Babaji and the mantras he had given me. Now, as I felt this terror, I had nothing to hold on to. I forced myself to remember, You have everything you need inside of you. I was determined to cling to this new personal mantra and wondered if I had to fully believe the words for it to work.
As I walked through my front door and stared at the newly empty walls, I felt a sense of liberation that had evaded me for so long. It was as if my body got a little bit lighter and taller. I looked around, searching for something to anchor me. I saw nothing.
Just let it all unfold. I thought. Trust in yourself, in the divine that you have been chasing. Trust in that.
It was hard. I wasn’t sure how to trust anymore.
I walked into my bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, relieved now that all traces of the demon were gone. I looked at my expanding belly again and thought of the little girl who was growing inside. Once again, I felt the winds of change whispering within. “You have everything you need,” she said.
I placed my hands on my belly and whispered back, “The world needs you, little one. Thank you for choosing me to be your mama. I cannot wait to meet you.”
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Chanchal Garg is a speaker, author, executive coach and conscious leadership facilitator. She transforms lives by helping clients break through limiting beliefs and create authentic connections. Drawing from her MBA and personal experiences, she addresses difficult truths directly while fostering environments of openness and collaboration.
For over seven years, Chanchal has facilitated Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business’ most popular elective course on interpersonal dynamics, impacting over 500 future business leaders. As the founder of Real Space, a thriving six-figure coaching business, she guides leaders to transcend cultural and societal constraints, harnessing their personal power in both work and life. Chanchal is the author of Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths They Bury. Her expertise has been showcased through speaking engagements, including Lululemon’s International Women’s Day event and podcasts such as She Has the Mic and I Don’t Give a Should.
Category: On Writing
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