Ipsita Ganguli
In the summer night of 1980s, I heard about Subash Chandra Bose. The story teller was no one other than Gajomoti Halder, matriarch of our large patrilineal joint family and my grand mother. She lived in West Bengal. She believed in one and only son of the soil: Subash Chandra Bose or SC Bose, also known as Netaji. For her, he was a true warrior. A warrior who fought for the ‘united states’ of India and her freedom but couldn’t stop the structured killings, bloodiest communal violence and torturing of women in mid-October of 1946. She loved how Subash Chandra Bose never sent apologies to British Raj for his courageous endeavour in attaining freedom.
During this time, the word freedom did not have much relevance for British Raj who was busy extracting many trillions of dollars from India just like past foreign invaders who came, ruled, stayed or left India.
Who was Subash Chandra Bose?
In 1938, Kolkata was the Indian city, where Indian Chamber of Commerce had the privilege of hosting an afternoon party. It was a very special event. It was for a special guest and his name was with Subash Chandra Bose. His pioneering thoughts for freedom of India, still echo through the corridors of Indian Chamber of Commerce.
In 1942, Subash Chandra Bose was know to Australia, according to Dr Peter Stanley who wrote about Indian National Army on “Great in adversity”: Indian prisoners of war in New Guinea. Just as S. Woodburn Kirby’s British official history, “The war against Japan”, highlighted Indian National Army with details of Indians held in Hong Kong, Burma, Singapore, Malaya, Sumatra and British and Dutch Borneo. At the end of the war nearly 6,000 Indians were recovered in Australian New Guinea too. And I cannot be more proud of Australia’s role in looking after those Indian soldiers before they headed home.
On 4th November, 1943, Subash Chandra Bose met the Japanese Emperor as royal guest at the palace where representatives from China, Manchuria, Thailand, Philippines and Burma were also present. Subash Chandra Bose wrote an article titled ‘Free India and her Problems’ which was first published in the German periodical Wille und Macht in August 1942 and reprinted in Azad Hind, the official publication of the Free India Centre in Berlin.
He was a top left-winger in Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s All-India National Congress, twice Party President and persistent threat to Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership. He was sentenced eleven times to British jails but escaped British India. He was supported by the Axis powers of Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, the Italian Social Republic, and their allies.
Being considered the first Prime Minister of India, when the provisional government was also formed in the Japanese-occupied Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, Subash Chandra Bose was the commander of Indian National Army( INA) which comprised prisoners of war and formed on foreign soil fight for India’s freedom. He also formed Azad Hind Government and the Azad Hind Bank. Incorporated women in Indian National Army which included Captain Lakshmi headed the women’s organisation and S A Ayer headed of publicity wing.
Celebration Continues
In early 2021, after a long silence on the contributions of Subash Chandra Bose, Indian President Kovind unveiled his portrait at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi to mark the beginning of a year-long celebrations to commemorate his 125th birth anniversary. At the same time Indian Prime Minister (PM) Modi visited the legend’s home city of Kolkata to pay his respect. Indian Union Ministry of Culture had also decided to rename Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti as ‘Parakram Diwas’ that was celebrated on January 23. Continuing the government’s effort to revive the legacy of Subash Chandra Bose, Prime Minister Modi said , “The India of today will not forget the people who in the name of writing history have done a disservice to the people who (Subhash Chandra Bose) shaped history. India of today is making the amendments now.”
In the Indian city of Kolkata, cyclists celebrated the day as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Legend Great Escape Route Ride – Parakram Day Ride which included Rash Behari Avenue, Netaji Bhawan in Elgin Road, Harission Road and Central Avenue.
Netaji’s epic life is celebrated by author Sugata Bose in his book His Majesty’s Opponent: Subhas Chandra Bose and India’s Struggle against Empire as a giant in world history. According to Ramesh Thakur, The Australian, “Those wishing to learn about the life and times of Netaji will finish the book with their curiosity deeply satisfied.”
Indian High Commission, Canberra, Australia also paid tributes to revolutionary founder of Azad Hind Fauj & charismatic freedom fighter Netaji Subash Chandra Bose on social media.
According to Perth based Supria Guha’s Facebook update , on 23/01, NRI Rising Club celebrated India’s jackbooted hero Subash Chandra Bose’s birthday in Kings Park War Memorial Garden in Western Australia . They picked up this special occasion as their first celebration since their incorporation. This is the very first time, I have ever heard about any Australian celebrations of this great man. In Halder Bari, Sydney, Australia, we celebrated 125th Anniversary of Netaji with prayers, while others celebrated the great Hero with social media updates from across the globe.
“Give me Compassion
And I will give you Freedom”
They have gone, you know
Those you fought against
They are now far away
75 years till this day
We live with Freedom now
Our borders defined
Our flag flying high
Our National pride
And yet
For those whom you laid your life
Your Bharat Mata
You worshiped Her ,and so do I
I wonder does She still cry?
To see her own children
Kill one another
How does She feel, O Mother?
Does She feel chained
When She sees the disdain
Blatant distortions and lies
And personal arrogance reign!
And although they have gone
And We remain
Have We in our carelessness
Our own goodness undone?
Satyam Shivam Sunderam
In a country that worships truth
What exactly is our vision
What are we leaving for our youth?
O Netaji, brave leader
You fought for a cause
Now we are left with Freedom
The Freedom, that was
The Freedom that we must build
The Freedom that transcends
The Freedom from hunger
The Freedom from disdain
The Freedom from narrow lies
And aggrandisement et all
The Freedom of knowledge
The Freedom to breakdown walls
In this Nation of a million creeds
Of races, castes and proceeds
May everyone be truly free
From pettiness and misery
May our Freedom bring us your spirit
The spirit to stand tall
United in our actions
With Compassion as our Freedom call
