Subhash Chandra Bose was a national leader who was faithfully associated for many years with the Congress party that followed Gandhiji’s path of non-violence, but when he saw the atrocities of the British Government and the plight of the people, he chose a path totally different from Gandhiji’s school of thought. He believed in the saying, ‘An eye for an eye’ and ‘a tooth for a tooth’. And to rid the country of the British, he formed the Indian National Army (INA) or the Azad Hind Fauj.
The INA was an excellent example of social equality. The army consisted of people from different religions. But the spirit that united them all was their desire to release India from the bonds of slavery. The British Government was propagating the ‘Divide and Rule’ policy at that time. But Subhash Chandra Bose’s efforts in forming the INA was a blow to the British policy and a symbol of national pride. And he set this example at a very young age.
When Bose was studying in school, the prevalent thought was that British children were superior to their Indian counterparts. The making of a revolutionary was witnessed when he beat an English boy in school to protest against this discrimination. When he was just 15, he told his mother that India was God’s favourite country. He kept this thought kindled in his heart till the end of his life and also urged his followers to keep their solemn faith in India. He was of the opinion that no country in the world had the power to keep India in fetters for long. He had faith that India would soon gain independence.
Bose was born into a wealthy family in Cuttack. After completing his studies in India, he went to England to appear for the Indian Civil Services Examination. He cleared the examination and returned to India. But because of his patriotism, he gave up the ICS and joined the struggle for freedom.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose occupies a unique position in the history of India’s struggle for independence. Though a member of the Congress, Bose took a different path in his struggle for Indian independence. The whole nation was excited when it learnt that Bose had gathered a large force to challenge the British and declare war to win India’s independence.
The incident happened in 1940. There was a memorial named Dalhousie Square in Calcutta. The British claimed that in the First War of Independence in 1857, the Indians had burnt the hall after stuffing it with English men, women and children. The story, however, did not hold any water. This was an attempt to malign the Indians. Subhash Chandra Bose started a campaign to put an end to this memorial. Bose and his associates were imprisoned. Seeing the wrath of the Indians, the memorial was removed, but Bose was not released from prison.
In protest against the atrocities of the British, he went on a hunger strike on 20 November 1940. The British Government panicked and he was released from prison. But he was placed under house arrest amidst tight security. From then onwards Netaji’s struggle for India’s independence became famous.
The Second World War was on. But nobody could read Netaji’s mind. During the house arrest, he grew a beard. This helped him disguise himself as a Pathan and flee from the clutches of the British to Peshawar. In Germany, Hitler was on his victory trail. Bose believed that it was best to befriend the enemy of one’s enemy. So he met Hitler and sought his help. But it was difficult to fight for the cause of India from Germany. So after some time, he reached Japan in a submarine. He believed that Gandhiji’s policy of non-violence could not help India in achieving freedom. So he founded the Indian National Army. He received the co-operation of Indians settled in Burma, Singapore etc. He called on patriots and said, “Give me your blood and I’ll give you freedom.” In February 1944, he had his first success. He was able to instil a sense of pride and devotion for India so that people were ready to make sacrifices for their homeland.
But the INA was not successful in liberating India. One of the major reasons was that in the predominantly marshy and thickly forested region, the weather led to the spread of malaria among the soldiers. Japan had to surrender to America after the latter used atom bombs. In Europe, Germany was defeated by the Allied Forces. The INA was successful in reaching Imphal. But because of the fall of Hitler, whom he considered his ally, Bose’s dream of liberating India could not be successful. It is believed that he later died in an aircrash in Taiwan in 1945.