Wednesday, January 26, 2011

NETAJI - THE DARE-ALL LEADER

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Republic Day Special

Subhash Chandra Bose is one of the few heroes in the history of India who left the deepest impression on the minds of the people f India within a short span of his charismatic life. He was born on January, 23, 1897 at Cuttack in Orissa.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose occupies a unique position in the history of India’s struggle for independence. Although he was a member of the Congress, Bose took a different path in his struggle for Indian independence. 23rd, January was his 114th birth anniversary and he still remains largely unforgotten today.

Subhash was an indefatigable fighter for democracy within the Congress.  Mahatma Gandhi loved Subhash and Subhash had the highest respect for him. Gandhi called him “Dare-all Leader”.

Though Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru have garnered much of the credit for successful culmination of the great Indian Freedom Struggle, the contribution of Netaji is no less, by any means. He began his political career in Calcutta and soon became the leader of the left wing of the Indian National Congress.

Bose was elected President of the Indian National Congress in 1938-39, but resigned from the post following ideological conflicts with Mahatma Gandhi. Netaji believed that Gandhiji’s way of non-violence may not be sufficient to secure India’s independence and advocated aggressive resistance.

Over a span of 20 years, Netaji Bose was incarcerated eleven times by the British, either in India or in Rangoon (Burma). During the mid 1930s, the British exiled him from India to Europe, where he championed India’s cause and aspiration of self-rule before gatherings and conferences. In 1941, he escaped and fled to Germany. In 1943, he headed in Singapore, a Japanese sponsored ‘provisional government of India’ and revived the Indian National Army (INA), which was formed initially under Captain Mohan Singh in 1942, immediately after the fall of Singapore in December that year.

The provisional government of the Azad Hind was recognized by Japan on 23rd October 1943, and was also recognized by Germany, Way, Manchuko, Philippines, Burma, National China, Hungry and Croatia.

On 8th November 1943, Netaji announced in a press release that the return of the Andamans to the Indians would be the first territory to be liberated from the British yoke.

The Azad Hind Fauj (INA)

Finally, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose raised the flag of Indian independence and established his headquarters at Port Blair, on December 30, 1943 and declared the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the first Indian Territory freed from the British rule. (Read more here)

A proclamation was issued at Singapore by the provisional government of India, under the signatures of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as the Head of State, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, who took the oath of allegiance to India in the following words:

"In the name of God, I take this sacred oath that to liberate India and the thirty eight crores of my countrymen I, Subhash Chandra Bose, will continue this sacred war of freedom until the last breath of my life. I shall always remain a servant of India and look after the welfare of the 38 crores of Indian brothers and sisters. This shall be for me my highest duty. Even after winning freedom, I will always be prepared to shed the last drop of my blood for the preservation of India’s freedom."

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Netaji visited Germany and met up with Hitler and other Italian and Japanese leaders. He sought their assistance in the fight for India's freedom. Netaji declared open war against the British rulers of India.


Netaji with Hitler

The Indian National Army (INA) fought shoulder to shoulder against the allied forces in Burma and eastern front of India and had confronted the colonial forces up to Imphal (Manipur). With the help from Germany and active support from Japan, they shook the very foundation of the British Empire. However, defeat of Japan and Germany in the World War II, forced INA to retreat and it, unfortunately, could not achieve its ultimate objective of a Free India.

Gandhi once paid his tribute to Bose in the following words: “The greatest and the lasting act of Netaji was that he abolished all distinctions of caste and class. He was Indian first and last. What is more, he fired all under him with the same zeal so that they forgot in his presence all distinctions and acted as one man.”

As the circumstances surrounding the death of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose remains shrouded in mystery, official documents declassified by the government say the revolutionary leader was a victim of an air crash on August 18, 1945 over Taiwan (Formosa). He was then only forty-eight years old.

No Indian could believe the shocking news. The nation still refuses to believe that their true idol of patriotism, Netaji, is no more. On his 114th Birth Anniversary, various organizations, educational institutions, youth clubs other than the Andaman & Nicobar Administration, organized befitting programs at various places in different islands, paying tributes to the great hero. The 40th Subhash Mela has been organized at Bakultala, Middle Andaman and Havelock Island, to mark the occasion.

Statue of Netaji at Marina Park, Port Blair

Today, on the occasion of India’s 62nd Republic Day, it is time to recognize the grand truth: First, it was the Fall of Singapore in 1942, not the Quit India Movement that was the beginning of the end of the British Empire; and finally, it was Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose before anyone else who was responsible for India’s freedom in 1947.

Salute to Netaji!

Happy and Proud 62nd Republic Day!

JAI HIND!!!


15 comments:

  1. very well compiled and written. excellent photos.

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  2. I am speechless! Such a beautiful article and such an important information. This is shocking that so many countries, recognizedly The Azad Hind Govt. So Netaji was the first PM of our country and that was not divided...the Whole India....There are lots of very important points raised by your article. This is very necessary for the young generation too! Thank you so much Shrinathji! I have raised some similar points in brief on my article.. but this is complete with facts and pics. Also now we can learn how to find solution on current problems of country.

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  3. @likemymusings:
    Thank you, dear Pramod for the kind appreciation! Welcome aboard the blog & My Facebook network, as well! :-)

    @Mohinee:
    Oh, yes...! Loved the heartening inference that you could derive out of the article, dear Mohini! Yes! It can aptly be said that Netaji was, indisputably, the very first Head of State, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the undivided India! Thank you for the kind appreciation and the follow on Twitter! Jai Hind! :-)

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  4. it is unfortunate that now a days people forget about netaji and his believes in mother India. corruption, political imbalance, religion fight makes our country weak. The moto "divide and rule" still works in our society.... sometime i personally feel very bad about this. we indian have the power to do any thing. the only thing we need is the unity. thanks to the author for writing such a nice article about our dearest NETAJI.

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  5. I hope this comment goes thru. I am quite fond of Netaji but not much of Nehru/Gandhi. Your post has been excellent source of information and I enjoyed reading it. Because of you I learned about open id as well. Thanks
    Ashvini

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  6. Very informative and well-written. Thanks. There are many reasons to believe that as a leader of a free country, Netaji would have been much better for India than the leaders that free India and Pakistan got.

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  7. Beautiful..your post renewed my interest in subjects of national history!

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  8. You always get great pictures. Learnt many things from your post :)

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  9. One leader who did all the difference in the approach. Immense respect for Netaji.

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  10. superb detail information is useful for everyone

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  11. Touched by the information you brought about Netaji.I respect him a lot and he deserve to be remembered by each one of us''INDIANS''

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  12. well written and full of patriotism!

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  13. Every bengali has a high place for Netaji... a very well written post

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  14. @Geeta Singh:
    Thanks a lot, dear Geeta! :-)

    @Scorpio:
    Very aptly said, dear Sanjoy! The new generations need to be educated about the real glory of our nation and the great people behind it. Thank you! And nice to see someone from Rangat (Middle Andaman) here for the first time. Welcome aboard! :-)

    @ashvini-kumar-saxena:
    Yeah! Finally, there it is, dear Ashvini! :-)Thanks very much for taking so much of pain to share your kind thoughts with us all, here! :-)

    @Rana Sinha:
    That's so very true, dear Rana! Thank you so much for all the appreciation indeed! Nice to have seen you here, after quite some time. Cheers! :-)

    @Viyoma:
    It feels so gratifying to know that, dear Viyoma! It's our great nation's grand history that has that awesome effect, in fact. Thank you for the compliment! :-)

    @wecognize:
    Thank you, dear Niharika! I've learned a bit about choosing pictures from friends like you, after all..; remember! Ha..Haa..Haaa..! Cheers! ;-))

    @Mohan:
    Most definitely! Thank you, Mohan!

    @Santosh Bangar:
    Thanks very much, Santosh ji! Welcome aboard this blog! :-)

    @Pratibha The Talent:
    Absolutely, so, dear Pratibha! Let's take every opportunity to educate and remind the younger generations about the supreme sacrifices made by these selfless patriots for the sake of the nation's freedom. Thank you!

    @Arpana:
    Thank you very much, dear Arpana! :-)

    @♥ÐÅyÐяєÅмє®♥:
    Oh, yes...! Every Indian ought to do so, dear Sourish! Thanks & cheers! Jai Hind! :-)

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