Subhas
Chandra Bose, affectionately called as Netaji, was one of the most prominent
leaders of Indian freedom struggle. Though Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru
have garnered much of the credit for successful culmination of Indian freedom
struggle, the contribution of Subash Chandra Bose is no less. He has been
denied his rightful place in the annals of Indian history. He founded Indian
National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) to overthrow British Empire from India and came
to acquire legendary status among Indian masses.
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Subhas Chandra Bose was born on January 23, 1897 in
Cuttack, Orissa. His father Janaki Nath Bose was a famous lawyer and his
mother Prabhavati Devi was a pious and religious lady. Subhas Chandra Bose
was the ninth child among fourteen siblings. Subhas Chandra Bose was a
brilliant student right from the childhood. He topped the matriculation
examination of Calcutta province and graduated with a First Class in
Philosophy from the Scottish Churches College in Calcutta. He was strongly
influenced by Swami Vivekananda's teachings and was known for his patriotic
zeal as a student. To fulfill his parents wishes he went to England in 1919
to compete for Indian Civil Services. In England he appeared for the Indian
Civil Service competitive examination in 1920, and came out fourth in order
of merit. However, Subhas Chandra Bose was deeply disturbed by the
Jallianwalla Bagh massacre, and left his Civil Services apprenticeship midway
to return to India in 1921.
After returning to India Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose came under the influence
of Mahatma Gandhi and joined the Indian National Congress. On Gandhiji's
instructions, he started working under Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, whom he
later acknowledged his political guru. Soon he showed his leadership mettle
and gained his way up in the Congress' hierarchy. In 1928 the Motilal Nehru
Committee appointed by the Congress declared in favour of Domination Status,
but Subhas Chandra Bose along with Jawaharlal Nehru opposed it, and both asserted
that they would be satisfied with nothing short of complete independence for
India. Subhas also announced the formation of the Independence League. Subhas
Chandra Bose was jailed during Civil Disobedience movement in 1930. He was
released in 1931 after Gandhi-Irwin pact was signed. He protested against the
Gandhi-Irwin pact and opposed the suspension of Civil Disobedience movement
specially when Bhagat Singh and his associates were hanged.
Subash Chandra Bose was soon arrested again under the infamous Bengal
Regulation. After an year he was released on medical grounds and was banished
from India to Europe. He took steps to establish centres in different
European capitals with a view to promoting politico-cultural contacts between
India and Europe. Defying the ban on his entry to India, Subash Chandra Bose
returned to India and was again arrested and jailed for a year. After the
General Elections of 1937, Congress came to power in seven states and Subash
Chandra Bose was released. Shortly afterwards he was elected President of the
Haripura Congress Session in 1938. During his term as Congress President, he
talked of planning in concrete terms, and set up a National planning
Committee in October that year. At the end of his first term, the presidential
election to the Tripuri Congress session took place early 1939. Subhas
Chandra Bose was re-elected, defeating Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya who had been
backed by Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress Working Committee. Clouds of World
War II were on the horizon and he brought a resolution to give the British
six months to hand India over to the Indians, failing which there would be a
revolt. There was much opposition to his rigid stand, and he resigned from
the post of president and formed a progressive group known as the Forward
Block.
Subhas Chandra Bose now started a mass movement against utilizing Indian
resources and men for the great war. There was a tremendous response to his
call and he was put under house arrest in Calcutta. In January 1941, Subhas
Chandra Bose disappeared from his home in Calcutta and reached Germany via
Afghanistan. Working on the maxim that "an enemy's enemy is a
friend", he sought cooperation of Germany and Japan against British
Empire. In January 1942, he began his regular broadcasts from Radio Berlin,
which aroused tremendous enthusiasm in India. In July 1943, he arrived in
Singapore from Germany. In Singapore he took over the reins of the Indian
Independence Movement in East Asia from Rash Behari Bose and organised the
Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army) comprising mainly of Indian prisoners
of war. He was hailed as Netaji by the Army as well as by the Indian civilian
population in East Asia. Azad Hind Fauj proceeded towards India to liberate
it from British rule. Enroute it lliberated Andeman and Nicobar Islands. The
I.N.A. Head quarters was shifted to Rangoon in January 1944. Azad Hind Fauj
crossed the Burma Border, and stood on Indian soil on March 18 ,1944.
However, defeat of Japan and Germany in the Second World War forced INA to retreat
and it could not achieve its objective. Subhas Chandra Bose was reportedly
killed in an air crash over Taipeh, Taiwan (Formosa) on August 18, 1945.
Though it is widely believed that he was still alive after the air crash not
much information could be found about him. Memorials |
Bose was featured on the stamps in India from 1964, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2016 and 2018. Bose was also featured in ₹2 coin in 1996 and 1997, ₹ 75 coin in 2018 and ₹125 coin in 2021. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at Kolkata, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, formerly Ross Island and many other institutions in India are named after him. On 23 August 2007, Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe visited the Subhas Chandra Bose memorial hall in Kolkata. Abe said to Bose's family "The Japanese are deeply moved by Bose's strong will to have led the Indian independence movement from British rule. Netaji is a much respected name in Japan."
Bose on a 1964 stamp of India
Bose on a 1964 stamp of India
In 2021, the Government of India declared 23 January as Parakram Divas to commemorate the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Political party, Trinamool Congress and the All India Forward Bloc demanded that the day should be observed as Deshprem Divas.
