Description: netaji_subhash_chandra_bose

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose - The Forgotten Hero

It is unfortunate that Netaji has been denied his rightful place in the annals of Indian history and remains largely forgotten.

. 'Tum mujhe khoon do, mein tumhe azadi doonga'

(You give me blood, and I promise you freedom).

 

There were many great heroes born at the time of the freedom movement. Each with his own method of attaining one goal - Independence for India. Some believed in non-violent means, whereas others did not. One such hero was Subhash Chandra Bose, affectionately known as 'Netaji'. . He was born on 23rd January 1897 in Orissa.

Though Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru have garnered much of the credit for successful culmination of Indian freedom struggle, the contribution of Subash Chandra Bose is no less. He has been denied his rightful place in the annals of Indian history.

Bose was one of the most prominent leaders in the Indian independence movement and is a legendary figure in India today. He was an Indian revolutionary who led an Indian national political and military force against Britain. Bose advocated complete independence for India at the earliest. If one looks at the history of Indian Freedom Movement, after Mahatma Gandhi, the name that stands out is of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. His contribution is no less than those of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, who have been given much of the credit for the successful culmination of India's freedom struggle. It is more than 64 years since India's Independence, and it is only pertinent that Netaji's remarkable and stirring deeds need to be brought to light in the proper perspective. His famous motto was "Give me blood and I will give you freedom”.

The British rulers acknowledged with serious concern Netaji was a most dynamic and influential political leader in all sections and religious groups of the country. They saw how Netaji's ideas always inspired younger generation to fight more strongly for freedom. Subhash Chandra Bose believed that the Bhagavad Gita was a great source of inspiration for the struggle against the British. The interpretation of the India's ancient scriptures had appealed immensely to him. He was willing to cut across religious lines. He was willing to give up his idea of a religiously divided India, if Netaji led the nation.

He has taken his place with Rana Pratap and Chatrapati Shivaji as a national figure in the heroic tradition. Bose deserves equal credit with Gandhi in Indian Freedom struggle. Bose's great saga was an inspiration to all Indians, “Future generations would read the amazing story of Netaji's life with pride and reverence and salute him as one of the great heroes of India."

Rarely do we find somebody of the caliber of this man. His organisational and leadership skills need no introduction. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, best known as the leader of Indian National Army, was a man who commanded respect. He believed Gandhi’s policies would never secure a fully independent Bharat and even if it could, the nation would be weak from within due to the policies which congress was fast acquiring

Bose advocated the approach that the political instability of war-time Britain should be taken advantage of rather than simply wait for the British to grant independence after the end of the war which were the views of Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and a section of the Congress leadership at the time.

Whilst over 1.5 million Indians were recruited to the British Army and fought on behalf of the Allied cause in World War II, there was little publicity given to the 3,000 Indians that were recruited to the German army by Subhash Chandra Bose, the radical Indian politician living in exile in Nazi Germany.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose gave many memorable speeches during his lifetime.

“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. Friend's! My comrades in the War of Liberation! Today I demand of you one thing, above all. I demand of your blood. It is blood alone that can avenge the blood that the enemy has spilt. It is blood alone that can pay the price of freedom. 'Tum mujhe khoon do, mein tumhe azadi doonga' (You give me blood, and I promise you freedom).It is our duty to pay for our liberty with our own blood. The freedom that we shall win through our sacrifice and exertions, we shall be able to preserve with our own strength......' “

His life was full of mystery and adventure and indeed his death has been a major issue and created controversy from time to time.

"The greatest curse for a man is to remain a slave.

The grossest crime is to compromise with injustice and wrong.

The highest virtue is to battle against inequity, no matter what the cost may be."


                                                - Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

 

 

Kewal Ahluwalia.