INDIA LOST REAL HERO

 

 "INDIA'S REAL HERO" 

  

netaji was born in Cuttack in Odisha in 1897, graduated from Kolkata, and proved his mettle by becoming an Indian Civil Services (ICS) officer. But he was not accustomed to a life of comfort and amenities that came with his job. He was a warrior, who had to wage the freedom struggles

The heads of states of important countries stood by him and Netaji lit the fire of the freedom struggle beyond India’s shores.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose ’s life is a story of struggle. It is the story of a young dreamer that tells the saga of consciousness, struggle and success in every eye; one who has the power to rip the ground with his arms; one who talks about making a hole in the sky; one who is anxious to achieve his goals; one who does not accept anything for free; and if he wants freedom, he is ready to spill his blood. Thousands of people sacrificed their lives on Netaji’s call. He created an army against the British in no time.

Netaji was born in Cuttack in Odisha in 1897, graduated from Kolkata, and proved his mettle by becoming an Indian Civil Services (ICS) officer. But he was not accustomed to a life of comfort and amenities that came with his job. He was a warrior, who had to wage the freedom struggle. Not only did he embrace the freedom movement wholeheartedly, but also became an inspiration for freedom. With the slogan “Give me blood and I will give you freedom”, he started preparing to awaken the country. Such was the charisma of his philosophy and personality that whoever listened to him was attracted to him. His popularity skyrocketed and he became “Netaji” to the general public.

He was so fond of Bharat Mata that his country tied to the chains of slavery did not let him live peacefully. People beyond India’s borders also developed a fascination for him. Heads of states of important countries stood by him and Netaji lit the fire of the freedom struggle beyond India’s shores. He built a force and presented that force before the enemies of the country as the Azad Hind Fauj (Indian National Army). He gave the slogan of “Dilli Chalo” with a new spirit. Thousands of soldiers of his 60,000-strong army sacrificed their lives for the country.

“Success always stands on the pillar of failure.” Bose lived with this philosophy and also inspired others. Netaji encountered failures several times, but he converted those failures to triumph with his struggle. Whether it is municipal politics, the journey from a common Congressman to the Congress president’s position, the formation of the Forward Bloc or the struggle of the Indian National Army, he passed every test with distinction.

Bose accepted the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, but ironically, Gandhiji himself became the cause of him leaving the Congress. But the two leaders always had respect for each other.

At the time of India’s independence, Clement Attlee was the British Prime Minister. He came to Kolkata in 1956. At that time, his host, governor and former Calcutta high court chief justice PB Chakravartti, tried to find out from him the reason behind the British decision to grant freedom to India. In response, Attlee said that the loyalty of the Indian army and navy to the British state was declining due to the increasing military activities of Bose’s Azad Hind Fauj. This was one of the major reasons. This acknowledgement proves the great contribution of Bose to India’s independence. It finds a mention in a letter written to the publisher by Justice Chakravartti in the book “A History of Bengal” by RC Majumdar.

Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh had a major contribution in the life of Netaji. The banks of the Narmada transformed his life. The Tripuri Congress session was held from March 4-11, 1939 in Jabalpur. Despite poor health, Netaji had arrived on a stretcher to participate in it. Thereafter, he came again to Jabalpur on July 4, 1939 to form the Forward Bloc. The people of Madhya Pradesh have a deep relationship with Netaji. In every town of the state, there’s a ward in his name. Subhas Chandra Bose’s message to his colleagues was: “Success may be distant, but it is imperative”. Bose used to say, “If a person is not obsessed, he can never become great. But he should also have something else inside him.” Bose is credited with giving global identity to the Indian leadership. Earlier,Swami Vivekananda had enlightened the world about India’s spiritual and cultural superiority and identity.

Netaji was also fluent in many Indian languages. Bose’s struggle for freedom proved to be an inspiration not just for India, but also for all Third World countries. The Indian freedom struggle and the war of independence led by Bose had a profound impact on those countries. Netaji’s status establishes him as the “hero of freedom” globally.

Let’s remember one of India’s bravest freedom fighter with some his memorable quotes:

1. “Give me blood and I will give you freedom!" One of his most quoted lines is from a speech that Bose delivered to the soldiers of Indian National Army that he commanded along with Mohan Singh.

2. “When we stand, the Azad Hind Fauj has to be like a wall of granite; when we march, the Azad Hind Fauj has to be like a steamroller."

3. “We should have but one desire today - the desire to die so that India may live - the desire to face a martyr’s death, so that the path to freedom may be paved with the martyr’s blood."

4. “It is only on the basis of undiluted nationalism and of perfect justice and impartiality that the Indian Army of Liberation can be built up."

5. “One individual may die for an idea, but that idea will, after his death, incarnate itself in a thousand lives."

6. “Freedom is not given - it is taken"

7. “Soldiers who always remain faithful to their nation, who are always prepared to sacrifice their lives, are invincible."

8. “India is calling. Blood is calling to blood. Get up, we have no time to lose. Take up your arms! we shall carve our way through the enemy's ranks, or if God wills, we shall die a martyr's death. And in our last sleep we shall kiss the road that will bring our Army to Delhi.

9. “No real change in history has ever been achieved by discussions."

10. “The secret of political bargaining is to look more strong than what you really are."

salutation ‘Jai Hind’ permeates our consciousness and is an integral part of our everyday life. Have you ever wondered who popularised this expression which spurs us to action, motivates us to serve our motherland and instils a powerful sense of nationalism in us? Did you know that it was the country’s most iconic freedom fighter, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose who made this slogan immortal by making it a national greeting? Today on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, I bow my head in reverence to the great nationalist leader, who played an unparalleled role in liberating our motherland from the yoke of British rule.
The government of India’s decision to celebrate Netaji’s birth anniversary as ‘Parakram Diwas’ is a befitting tribute to the legacy of a visionary statesman of exemplary courage whose name is etched in the annals of Indian history in letters of gold. As we all know, Netaji was a fearless leader of extraordinary calibre, who left no stone unturned in his quest to attain freedom. As the events of his time and a study of his life reveal, he was a natural leader of men—fired by nationalism and a missionary zeal to break the shackles of colonial rule in India.

Subhas Chandra Bose was born into a well-to-do family in Cuttack to Prabhavati and Janaki Nath Bose. As a young boy, Bose was deeply influenced by Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo. A brilliant student who always excelled in academics, Bose appeared for the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination in deference to the wishes of his parents. A rare combination of diligence and exceptional intelligence, he cleared the ICS in flying colours.
Subhas Chandra Bose was on the horns of a dilemma when it came to joining the Civil Service—he wrote a number of letters to his brother and parents seeking their permission to leave the ICS and dedicate his life to the cause of liberation of his motherland. Once in a letter to his brother, he wrote, “I am now at the cross-ways and no compromise is possible. I must either chuck this rotten service and dedicate myself whole-heartedly to the country’s cause—or I must bid adieu to all my ideals and aspirations and enter the service…”. He eventually crossed the proverbial Rubicon haunting his thoughts and left the Civil Service.

Upon his return to India, Subhas Chandra Bose committed himself irrevocably to the cause of freedom. With his dynamism, vision and exemplary dedication to the cause of India’s freedom, Bose became a youth icon in no time. He soon emerged as a threat to the British rulers. Subhas Chandra Bose was arrested on a few occasions and was even sent to the infamous jail of Mandalay in Burma. In 1941 when he was under house arrest in his Calcutta home, Bose made a bold escape with the help of his close relatives and set out on a treacherous journey to Berlin via Kabul.

Subhas Chandra Bose had strongly felt the need for a National Army to oust the Britishers. He once said, “India must have a National Army that should reach the standards of the most successful and modern army of the World, in discipline, training and equipment, in order to be able to fight for freedom and to defend it after it was won.” Upon reaching Berlin, he proposed his plan to the German government and started recruiting Indian uprisoners of war in Germany.
The fact that Subhas Chandra Bose who had started with 12 men in September 1941, could recruit more than 2000 troops by August 1942—bears eloquent testimony to his charismatic leadership and inspiring vision. His regular radio broadcasts and journal ‘Azad Hind’ instilled a stirring sense of patriotism in thousands of Indians. Fittingly, Bose was given the title of Netaji, by the Indian soldiers in Berlin.

Netaji, during his stay abroad, made many allies such as Germany, Japan, Italy etc. Netaji once told Rash Behari Bose, “From what I have learned during my eighteen months of experience abroad, Japan, Germany and Italy are our allies in our fight against British Imperialism. However, the Independence of India must be achieved by the Indian people themselves.” Netaji was guided by a clear vision and refused to get swayed by the powerful people and governments around him.
The first Indian National Army (INA) was formed on February 17, 1942, but by December, it was in disarray and Netaji emerged as the only hope for its revival. On July 4, 1943, Netaji assumed INA’s leadership and leading by example, with his vision and fearlessness, ignited the spark of patriotism in its ranks. It was then that he gave famous war cry ‘Chalo Delhi’ (On to Delhi). Netaji told the soldiers in no uncertain terms about the thorny path that lay ahead—“I can offer you nothing except hunger, thirst, privation, forced marches and death. But if you follow me in life and in death—as I am confident you will—I shall lead you to victory and freedom.” He promised his troops that he would be with them “in darkness and in sunshine, in sorrow and in joy, in suffering and in victory.” Netaji was successful in rekindling patriotism in the troops.

In October 1943, Netaji took the historic step of proclaiming the Provisional Government of Free India in Singapore. By December 29, 1943, the Japanese formally handed over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the Provisional Government of Free India, enabling Netaji to be back on his motherland. Many great freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar, Batukeshwar Dutt, Ghadarite Sohan Singh Bhakna, Bhai Parmanand and others, were incarcerated in the dreaded Cellular Jail of Andaman and Nicobar islands and faced untold hardships there.

In a visionary move, Netaji established a women’s regiment in the INA. The Rani of Jhansi Regiment, comprising several hundred women soldiers, was led by Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, a successful overseas doctor who gave up her practice to plunge into the thick of the freedom struggle spearheaded by Netaji.
Netaji unfurled the Tricolor in Port Blair on 30th December 1943 and declared Andaman and Nicobar Islands to be the first Indian Territory to be freed from BritishRaj. Getting that very land back where the British committed the most inhuman atrocities on Indian freedom fighters was an accomplishment which stands in history as a remarkable feat of exceptional valour.

Over the next one year, the Indian National Army (INA) under the inspiring leadership of Netaji carried out a host of successful missions, but eventually had to retreat in the later part of 1944. Netaji in his last order sent a special message to the Indians living in East Asia, observing—”The roads to Delhi are many… and Delhi still remains our goal.” Netaji was an unstoppable force and did not ever let any obstacle overpower his will to free our motherland. He fought untiringly for India’s freedom till his last breath. On August 18, 1945, it was reported that Netaji died in a plane crash in Taipei. Of course, there are different theories about his death.

NetajiSubhasChandraBose epitomises the noblest attributes of powerful patriotism, selfless service, dedication to a larger cause and extraordinary valour in the face of untold adversity. A charismatic leader and a visionary nationalist, Netaji will continue to inspire generations of Indians and instil in them a profound love for the motherland.

JaiHind