Subhash Chandra Bose, the bravest son of India

“His Majesty’s Opponent” by Sughata Bose captured the true essence of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose by mentioning him as “The Warrior of Independent India”. Yes, he was more of a warrior who fought for his mother land and for the freedom of its people regardless of anything else.

75 Years since Independence and the relevance of freedom fighters from Bose to Gandhi, who, even with different ideologies fought under the big umbrella of Indian National Congress, still hasn't wavered. Infact, it would be quite right to say that the relevance has increased more than that of the olden times. Since 2014 we have been witnessing a massive amount of the budget of the Indian government being spent by the ruling party for gobbling up the identities of the pioneers of Indian freedom struggle by destroying the ideas they stood for. As it was for Gandhi, who vehemently opposed the RSS and their ideologies to Sardar Vallabhai Patel, who banned the RSS, they have come a long way. And their latest prey is none other than Subash Chandra Bose.

Since last year BJP have been trying tirelessly to take up the Mighty Subhash Chandra Bose under their wings and erase his legacy of building a United and secular India. This year the republic celebration has been extended to 23rd January, that is Subhash Chandra Bose’s birthday and the govt has removed the Amar Jawan Jyothi and has installed a 25feet statue of Subhash Bose near the India gate. The ways resorted by BJP to ransack the history and facts about the ideas he stood for are pure evil and devastating.

Subhash Chandra Bose, called by Mahatma Gandhi as the “Patriot among patriots” and the one who called the Mahatma for the first time as Father of the Nation, was a secular, socialstic left leaning patriot and a radically brave warrior, who stood for unity and empowerment of his people with a vision for new India. His role in Indian Independence is irreplaceable or unparallel. Born into a Bengali family in 1897, Bose was inspired to be part of social work from an early age. He spend his free time working for disease affected people in villages. Later after graduating from presidency college, Bose goes to London to prepare for ICS(Indian civil service), and gets into 4th rank. ICS position which was mentioned by his daughter Anitha Bose in an interview as heavenly in terms of facilities and pay. But with his strong thoughts on Freedom for his motherland, he quit the ICS and returned to India in 1921. In his letters to his Brother and Father he has clearly stated his future plans, that is to join Congress and fight for freedom. Immediately after reaching India he went to meet Mahatma Gandhi, he had many questions but he was not impressed by Gandhi, who then sent him his future mentor and father like figure, the radical Bengali leader CR Das. As some writers wrote about the years from 1921 to 1944 Bose went like a hurricane, immediately after getting along with CR Das, Bose was handed over duties from being teacher and then principle of Calcutta National College, Content writer for newspapers, research and background works for Indian National Congress, Bengal Pradesh Congress committee, Leader of volunteer core, publicity head of Bengal pradesh Congress and various other active charges. Subhash Chandra Bose was first arrested in 1921 for leading a protest on the visit of the Prince of Wales. Bose proved his ability as a leader by then was also becoming a headache for the British imperialist power.He was again arrested in 1925, then moved to Burma Jail, then again in 1940. He led election campaigns extensively under Bengal Pradesh Congress as part of election came in as a result of Montague Chelmsford act. He was posted as chief executive officer for Bengal Municipal Council under CR Das. Later on being in Jail he was elected to Bengal legislative council. That was his influence on ordinary people and in the Congress party by that time.While being in Jail due to his illness, he was moved abroad, for the British it was more like keeping him away from India for a while but he starts to meet revolutionaries in Europe and campaigns for India there.

In Congress the emergence of Bose and Nehru was a new era of socialism and progressive ideas. In the Calcutta Congress session 1928 Bose and Nehru fought against the move to accept the dominion status by moving an amendment for Purna Swaraj( Complete Independence). Later they both fought radically in their own ways for one cause from inside and outside Congress for Independence and against Imperialism. Subhash was totally a new energy for the Congress as he emphasised importance on strengthening subsidiaries of Congress and forming new subsidiaries and bringing the fight on all fronts. For that he travelled extensively talking to students and youth, spreading the Idea of freedom, rights, socialism, secularism and equality. In 1928 he was elected president of All India Youth Congress. It doesn't end there as he takes the movement to organising and leading Peasants, Trade Union and in the session of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress he stresses on the importance of women in freedom fight and asks for a wing of women in Congress. Later on Lathika Ghosh states that Subhas Chandra Bose inspired her to form Mahila Rashtriya Sangh. He also became the All India Trade Union President in 1929 after leading a strike in Jamshedpur in TATA & SONS company which resulted in Tata Workers Union, which in turn led to employees getting basic rights such as maternal leave and allowances. Subhas Chandra Bose was the father of economic planning in India. It was Bose, who in 1938 as the President of the INC set up the National Planning Committee with Nehru as its Chairman. In setting up this Committee he was immensely influenced by the experience with economic planning in the Soviet Union. In Haripura Speech, Bose said : 'The State, on the advice of a Planning Commission, will have to adopt a comprehensive scheme for gradually socialising our entire agricultural and industrial system in the spheres of both production and distribution”. Months later a conference of the Congress Industries Ministers was convened in Bombay, and in this conference Bose declared the formation of the National Planning Committee with Jawaharlal Nehru as its Chairman. This was the beginning of economic planning in India. Subhash Chandra Bose got consecutively elected as President of Indian National Congress in ‘38 and ‘39, who then resigned as a result of an ideological conflict with Gandhi. Bose who never compromised on his ideas, later gets expelled from the party for leading a forward bloc formed by Congress members itself, a counter ideology of leftists in Congress, similar to the Swaraj party formed by CR Das and Motilal Nehru. Congress saw many ideological conflicts and birth of political parties from India League, Congress socialist front, Congress democratic front and at the end all these donated on Idea, the idea of India.

Later after the imprisonment of 1940 and then house arrest, Bose dramatically escapes to fight the British to free India from foreign soil, finding allies. Through Afghan to Russia to Germany, where he meets leaders, radicals, and the end he setups Germany as his base station for now, setting up Free India Centre, collecting prisoners of war in Germany and other Indian there drawing plan for new India, discussing ideas for new India, taking help from Germany stating very clearly that India won’t side with Germany for anything else other than attaining Freedom for India. In 1943 he got to Japan through a submarine sponsored by Japan to align with Japan to fight the British. In 1943 he reached Singapore, taking charge of Azad Hind, First Provincial Govt of India. Then takes supreme charge of INA, raising an army, sufficient funds to run it with a completely progessive mindset, even including a women's regiment. During this period he gave us our national salute Jai Hind and made the beginning of our national anthem. The commands and other things used in Hindi for the first time for the military staff in the I.N.A. were subsequently adopted by the Indian Defence forces after independence. As the President of the Provisional Free Government of India, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose took a number of steps for the administration of the country, including the national language, the script, a secular education policy, and so on. Using INA Netaji captured a 1500 Sq KM area under the British and raised the tricolour flag with the slogan “ Dilli Chalo”.Later on INA had to retrieve it due to Japan’s surrender in Burma. Due to change of political conditions by now Netaji planned to travel to Russia but on the way he died in the Plane Crash 18 Aug 1945.

The legacy and spirit Netaji left behind was not so easy to be burned down even after almost 8 now. His path was radical and different but the aim was one for Nehru, Gandhi, Azad, Bhagath Singh and with every one who laid their life for freedom with a vision of new India. Netaji always held the idea of Hindu-Muslim unity as a priority. Under his leadership the B.P.C.C., at its Dacca Session on 25 May 1940, decided to observe Sirajudullah Day on 3rd July 1940 and declared that on that day attempts would be made by thousands of people to demolish the Holwell Monument in Calcutta. This was to be the beginning of the struggle, and the programme was so prepared that both the Hindus and Muslims could feel enthused about it. It was not difficult for the British Government to understand the importance of this movement, he also mentioned about Mughal kings effort to unify India especially about Akbar in his book the India Struggle. His stand against the Hindu MahaSabha or the present day RSS was very clear, stating from his speech at a public meeting in West Bengal, “The Hindu MahaSabha has deployed Sannyasis and Sannyasins with tridents in their hands to beg for votes. At the very sight of tridents and saffron robes, Hindus bow their heads in reverence. By taking advantage of religion and desecrating it, the Hindu Mahasabha has entered the arena of politics. It is the duty of all Hindus to condemn it.Banish these traitors from National life. Don’t listen to them”. Bose was never defeated in his mission and Quit India movement is one of its examples. Because of the continuous efforts of Bose for the preparation of the struggle for freedom, the Congress could ultimately come to the path of struggle in 1942. The 'Quit India, Resolution, passed by the A.I.C.C. at it's session on 8th August 1942, in Bombay, under Gandhi's direction, was nothing but the resolution of six months' ultimatum passed at Jalpaiguri Session of the B.P.C.C. in February 1939 under the leadership of Bose, and proposal for the same made in his Tripuri Speech in the same year. The Quit India Resolution was actually the vindication of the stand taken by Bose and his Forward Bloc.

Till his death he was a Congressman and overall a true warrior of an Indian in his heart and action. Later after his death Congress formed the INA defence committee and relief committee by 1945 and included Bhulabhai Desai, Asaf Ali, Jawaharlal Nehru. While in Japan and Germany, Bose watched Congress close, maintained letter exchange with Nehru, when Kasturba Gandhi passes away Netaji makes this statement “I pay my humble tribute to the memory of that great lady who was a mother to the Indian people, and I wish to express my deepest sympathy for Gandhiji in his bereavement. I had the privilege of coming into frequent personal contact with Shrimati Kasturba, and I would sum up my tribute to her in a few words. She was the ideal of Indian womanhood — strong, patient, silent, self-sufficient” It is recorded that reading this news in Berlin, Subhas Chandra Bose told his close associate CN Nambiar that he needed to "be with Gandhiji". It was around the same time that Subhas Chandra Bose was in the process of forming Azad Hind Fauj to launch attacks on the British.

Thus was the relationship between these revolutionaries, above the conflict of ideals. Nehru is said to have cried in public when he heard the news of plane crash and the death of Subhas Chandra Bose. This was the only occasion when Nehru cried in public. It was speculated that the confidential files pertaining to Subhas Chandra Bose would reveal the much anticipated bitter fight between Nehru and Bose. But when the files were declassified in 2016, it presented a contrarian picture.The files revealed that Pandit Nehru got a trust set up with Rs 2 lakh in 1954 for financial support to Subhas Chandra Bose's daughter Anita Bose. Nehru and then Bengal Chief Minister BC Roy were the trustees. In 1964, INC decided to extend an annual support of Rs 6,000 or Rs 500 a month to Anita Bose. (From 1947 till 1965, $1=Rs4.76) Another interesting anecdote is this: Jawaharlal Nehru used to send Darjeeling tea bought from his own pocket to Subhas Chandra Bose's wife Emilie Schenkl till his death in May 1964.

The RSS and BJP, who have girded themselves in an effort to make Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose one of their own, are turning a blind eye to the fact that the same Bose was one of their most vehement opposers. Netaji Bose would have taken up arms against the current Fascist ruling faction of India, as he once did against the Imperialist forces of Great Britain. The BJP can put off the ceremonial light at the foot of the India Gate, but the true Amar Jawan Jyothi and the spirit of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose will live through every true Indian.

References:

• His Majesty's Opponent- Sugata Bose

• Subhas Chandra Bose - Life, Speech, Letter by Prasad Kodinji

• SUBHAS CHANDRA BOSE AND THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS Author(s): Nirmal Bose

• An Indian Pilgrimage- Subhash Chandra Bose