NETHAJI

 NETAJI BOSE AN UNFORGETTABLE NAME -   NANGANALLUR  J.K. SIVAN

A great man was born this day.    Yes, theone and only  NETHAJI Subhas Bose was born  in a large Bengali family in Orissa during the British Raj  on 23rd January 1897.125 yrs ago.  

It is unfortunate, still to many Nethaji is an unknown name, conveniently forgotten, inspite of he being a  great leader, who fought for the freedom of our country, in his own way supported by many Indians of his time.  He is yet to be recognised at the best high  level. Well, some are born to serve and fade out like the curry leaf, just add the spice and taste and get out.   

 Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose,widely known to Indians as Nethaji died unnaturally, at at a young age, and   mysteriously,  even before we got Independence . Nethaji's  favourite slogan was “You give me blood, I’ll give you Freedom”. A real patriot and fire brand, he followed the policy ''your enemy's enemy is my friend''. He was naturally hunted by the British who were afraid of him and his popularity in British India. He had people around him who did not like his popularity and did not wish to recognise him or his services to the nation for her freedom.

Nethaji  ignited the fire of patriotism in the hearts of many Indians during the struggle for independence. He was a disciplined person and a man of principle who did all he could to bring independence to India. Let me list just seven information about this great leader of India.

1. Bose was a brilliant child. Was a bold and fierce patriot right from his early days.He dis his B.A. in Philosophy with a First Class score in 1918. His patriotism resulted in his being expelled from Presidency College for assaulting the British Professor Oaten for his anti-India comments.

2. After becoming a graduate in India, he went to England for his ICS Exam which he completed with distinction and came 4th on the merit list. He did not care for his meritorious studies and ICS as he was unwilling to work for British Govt.,The Jalianwalla Bagh massacre had left a mark on his memory and in 1921 he resigned from ICS while still undergoing his internship.

3. On his return to India, Bose actively associated himself with the Indian National Congress and newspapers such as Swaraj and Forward. He quickly rose within the INC and in 1938 and 1939 he was the elected President of INC. His demand was for ''Purna Swaraj'' (complete independence). It was opposed by Gandhi and other INC members who were trying for a Dominion status and gradual independence. He resigned from INC and formed All India Forward Bloc.

4. Accoding to Bose British would have to be pushed hard to leave India and sought the help of Germany and Japan to get their support who were arch enemies of the British. With the help of Japan he was able to form the Azad Hind Fauj that fought the Allied forces in South East Asia. Along with the Japanese army they brought independence to Andaman and Nicobar Islands and came all the way to Manipur in India. But by then Japan had grown weak and after its withdrawal from World War II, the Azad Hind Fauj had to retreat and disband.

5. Gandhi called him the “patriot of patriots”, a very high honor especially from one who opposed him. Bose was ready for any sacrifice for his, our nation. Is he one of the most patriotic figures to inspire thousands of young men and women today?

6. On August 18 1945 Bose is claimed to have been in a plane crash in Taipei, Taiwan. His death remains a mystery because no body was recovered and only some ashes were taken to Japan. Over the years his death has been a mystery as speculations have been made that he didn’t die at all and lived on in Russia and later in India. The alleged plane crash doesn’t even exist in the Taiwanese records. Many theories have come out about his disappearance and alleged death and to this day nothing conclusive can be said about those events!.

7. One of the theories is that he came back to India, and lived anonymously as Bhagwanji or Gumnami Baba in U.P. It is said that Bose took Sanyas and didn’t think it wise to resurface into Indian politics. He is said to have died in 1985 in Faizabad in U.P. It is said that Bhagwanji looked uncannily like Bose and his writing matched that of Bose’s. On at least four separate occasions, Bhagwanji himself admitted that he was in fact Subhash Chandra Bose but that it was in the best interest of the nation that he stay anonymous. That does sound like something Netaji would do out of his love for the nation.