A MODEST LIST OF NETAJI’S MOMENTOUS STRIDES AND GIFTS
[First Released -04/07/2012 ; Last Edited-18/01/2013]
### Great Entry and Grand Ascendance
# Forsaking the lure of easy life, after passing the ICS with excellent results and having earned a Cambridge Tripos in philosophy, joined the Indian National Congress in 1921(at the age of 24 years) with a view to be a dedicated freedom fighter.
# Ascendancy to the national stage within a very short period( by 1928)- even without a mentor apart from Deshabandhu Chittaranjan Das for only 4 years till 1925(demise of Deshabandhu).
[Compare with Jawaharlal Nehru having two mentors – his father Pandit Motilal till 1931(demise of Matilal) and the all mighty Gandhiji till 1947(when India became free) from ever since he(Nehru) joined the freedom movement in 1919. Gandhiji, on 15 January 1941, chose Nehru his successor to lead the Congress]
### Alternative Strategies for Freedom Movement and National Development
# He was the only national level leader who could see the real face of British Imperialism.
# Projecting an alternative strategy of national struggle, calling for direct action, armed if required, in quest of full freedom, as compared with the overwhelmingly dominating Gandhian methods of passive resistance, negotiations and compromises( till 1929 for self-rule under British control, and then for full independence).
# Envisaging national development on socialist principles, involving all strata of the populace irrespective of religion, cast and creed – in contrast to the Gandhian philosophy of solely village based economics. His Presidential address in the Haripura Congress(1938) was a milestone in this regard .
Installation, in 1938 as the President of the Indian National Congress, a National Planning Committee(with J L Nehru as the Chairman), thus sowing the idea of National Planning in India.
# Internationalization of the Indian freedom movement by interacting with the people, and the cultural and political leaders of the various European countries, particularly during his exile there(1933 – 1936).
# Advocating strongly utilization of the international political situation prior to and during the World War-II(started in September 1939) towards the attainment of India’s freedom – implemented later in his endeavours in Germany (1941 – 1943) and particularly in S E Asia (1943 – 1945).
# Elected as the President of the Congress defeating Gandhiji’s candidate Pattavi Sitaramayya in 1939 – a vindication of his ideology and strategy regarding freedom movement and national development.
### Price Paid for Challenging Gandhiji – Irrepressible Subhas Resurgent As Netaji
# Subhas was compelled to resign as the Congress President in 1939, and subsequently was slighted down in the Congress by the Gandhian clique.
# Though deserted by many who supported him in 1939, he established(on 3 May 1939 – within 3 days of resigning as Congress President) the All India Forward Bloc as a leftist group within the Congress, and organised an Anti-Compromise Conference in Ramgarh in March 1940 when the Annual Congress session was going on there.
# From the state of going to pieces as was then assessed by Nehru, he was resurgent as Netaji making many glorious contributions including bringing freedom to India implementing his strategy depicted in the sequel.
### Mission in Germany (1941 – 1943)
# Undertaking the Great Escape from house arrest in Calcutta( now Kolkata) to Berlin during January – April 1941(3 months), with the objective of opening a second front of the freedom movement with foreign help.
This was his first Great Journey involving stupendous ordeals and hazards including life risk.
[Actually he intended to go to Moscow. The USSR then did not want to antagonise UK by accepting him, but granted him a Transit Visa to go through their country. There was German misinformation to UK that the
Red Army might attack British India, and to the USSR, that the UK might launch an air-campaign on the Baku
oil industries]
# Showed the courage of criticizing wrong German activities – racial discrimination, attacking USSR etc.
[To fulfil his mission in Germany, he banked on, at least to some extent, the Soviet-German Treaty
of Non- Aggression which was breached by Germany in June 1941]
# His most important contributions during the apparently failed endeavours in Germany (i.e., armed invasion on British India with German assistance) –
– Adoption of Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka as the National Anthem and Jai Hind as National Salutation.
– Inspiring, through radio speeches, the people and leaders of India to inflict a massive strike on British Raj then engaged in the War, and to reject the Cripps’ Proposal(March 1942) of self-governance.
– Influencing Gandhiji in initiating the Quit India Movement in August 1942.
### Stupendous Achievements in S E Asia(1943 – 1945) – The Zenith of his life
# Undertook his second Great Journey(by submarine) from Kiel(in Germany) to Sabang(in S E Asia) during February – May 1943(3 months).
# Impressed immensely the Japanese authorities, Prime Minister Tojo in particular, by his magnetic
personality, and passionate, rational and determined approach to India’s freedom. They pledged all-out co-
operation.
# Revamped enormously the Indian freedom movement in South East Asia with the assistance of Japan, involving about 2.5 million Indians there, the Indian Independence League (IIL) – the civilian wing, and the Indian National Army(INA) – the armed wing.
[Sri Rashbehari Bose, the veteran Indian revolutionary in exile in Japan, handed over charges to Netaji on 4 July 1943]
In particular, the then moribund INA was uplifted to a truly revolutionary force of about 45 thousand members.
# Established in Singapore, on 21 October 1943, a sovereign government Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind, i.e., Provisional Government of Free India(PGFI, also called PGAH) recognized by nine countries, and declaring war on the UK and the USA.
# Some of the more important highlights of Netaji’s leadership there were the establishment of –
– Secularism in its totality
[To be judged in the context of the communal situation in contemporary India]
– A Ministry of Women Affairs in the PGAH
– A full-fledged women wing in the INA
[The last two, grand examples of empowerment of women, are to be viewed in the context of the contemporary governments of the so-called advanced nations]
# All the above achievements were attained in just about 4 months(July – October 1943) only
# Renamed the Andaman and Nicober islands Shaheed(Martyr) and Swaraj(Freedom) respectively after their civilian administration was handed over to the PGAH by Japan in December 1943.
# Established National Bank of Azad Hind in Rangoon in April 1944.
# Inspired freedom movements of the other nations in S E Asia.
### The Last Stroke
# Armed assault (during the spring and summer of 1944) on British India with Japanese collaboration, seizing the Imphal-Kohima region for more than three months, and hoisting the Indian Tri-colour at Moirang near Imphal on 14 April 1944.
[An advance Head Quarters of the PGFI & INA was established in Rangoon in January 1944]
Though the INA was defeated in the battle fields later, the aftermath compelled the British Raj to leave India as described latter in this write-up.
# Exerted all round efforts to launch a second offensive on British India.
In a broadcast address to Gandhiji on 6 July 1944 from Rangoon he called him as the Father of our Nation seeking his blessings in the last war of Independence of India.
Dropped his idea of another offensive for the time-being compelled by the advances of the Anglo-American forces in Burma.
# Undertook his third Great Journey – Retreat, taking along the members of Rani Jhansi Regiment (the all women wing of the INA) and others, from Rangoon to Bangkok during April – May 1945(one month).
### The Last (Known) Journey
# On 8 July 1945, laid the foundation stone for a Memorial to the INA Martyrs – which was built in record time. On 9 September, it was destroyed by Mountbatten immediately after recapturing Singapore without caring for the International Laws and humane values.
# Ultimately, embarked on the last known Great Journey – from Saigon(on 17 August 1945) to ? (known to be bound for Manchuria en-route Russia) – with the same dream of freeing India as he had when leaving his home four years and seven months ago on the night of 16 – 17 January 1941.
[ It is interesting to note that around this time and a bit later, the British authorities were weighing various options of dealing with Netaji vis-a-vis the likely repercussions in India – all of which appeared to be fatal for them, and finally decided to leave him where he was and not seeking for his surrender.]
*** [Please visit the Chapter ALLEGED DEATH in this website]***
### Writings and Speeches
Writings (in English and Bengali) and speeches (in English, Bengali and Hindusthani), of very high literary values, encompassing various facets of human, social and national endeavours and aspirations. The publications in print span through 12 volumes.
As manifest in these great works, he had been assimilating every good thing Indian from the very dawn of his mental development, much like two other great Indian Bengalees of international stature – Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda. Consequently, none of them need to embark on Discovery of India as was done by Nehru.
### Wresting freedom for India –
# During roughly the 6 months from October 1945 to March 1946, there was an unprecedented and spontaneous mass upsurge throughout the length and breadth of India against the INA Trials in particular and British Rule in general, and consequent switching of loyalty of the Indian members of the British Indian forces from the British Crown to their motherland.
[It is to be noted here that according to Netaji’s thinking, this would have happened if the INA could advance
In the Indian territory, forcing the British to withdraw from India. The advances of the INA up to Moirang was kept a closed secret, branding Netaji and his men as traitors by the British and their Indian agents ]
# Moreover, both the British Regime and the Congress were apprehensive that the freedom movement may be taken over by revolutionary forces.
# These happenings compelled the British Raj to leave India, transferring power to the Congress and Muslim League after partitioning the country in a lightning speed. Consequently, it had to withdraw also from the rest of its Asian Colonies within a very short period.
*** [There is a full Article on this issue in the current Chapter(GREAT STRIDES) of this website]***
### Concluding Remarks
Freedom from the British Rule was Netaji’s most important gift to India. The opportunity, however, was grabbed by the Congress( and the Muslim League) accepting the partition of the country – the antithesis of all that Netaji and his INA stood and fought for, and putting Netaji and his INA into oblivion.
The Indian polity, nevertheless, have adopted his choice of “Jana-gana-mana” as the Nationa Anthem, “Jai Hind” as National Salutation, calling Gandhiji as “The Father of the Nation”, and National Planning as the prime-mover of national development – without, of course, paying any regard whatsoever.
Bibliography
[ There is a myriad of publications on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. A good knowledge of his life and works may be acquired from the following ones penned by reputed authors from across the world. All of them, excepting No. 9 which is a collection of Articles, are books.
We, however, do not subscribe to all the views of the authors. In particular, we have showndefinitively, citing authentic documents, that the story of his death at Taipei on 18 August 1945 was a concocted one. Please visit the Chapter ALLEGED DEATH in this website.]
1. Toye H (1959): The Springing Tiger – A Study of Subhas Chandra Bose; London
2. Ghosh K K (1969): The Indian National Army – Second Front Of The Indian Independence Movement;
Meerut
3. Lebra Joyce C (1971): Jungle Alliance – Japan and The Indian National Army; Singapore
4. Corr G H (1975): The War of the Springing Tiger; London
5. Sareen T R (1986): Japan And The Indian National Arm; Delhi
6. Gordon L A (1990): Brothers Against the Raj – A Biography of Sarat and Subhas Chandra Bose;
New Delhi
7. Fay Peter W (1993) : The Forgotten Army – India’s Armed Struggle for Independence 1942-1945;
Ann Arbor
8. Das Sitangshu(2001): Subhas – A Political Biography; New Delhi
9. Ghosh Ratna(Ed.) (2006): Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and India’s Freedom Struggle; New Delhi
10. Bose Sugata(2011): His Majesty’s Opponent – Subhas Chandra Bose And India’s Struggle Against
Empire; New Delhi