Complete biography of Subash Chandra Bose (1897-1945)

Subash Chandra Bose was the greatest revolutionary and the most colourful figure of the Indian Freedom Movement. He was a great nationalist and patriotism was the essence of his personality. In the galaxy of nationalist leaders of India, his name shines like the pole star. His contribution to the Freedom struggle of India remains a source of perpetual inspiration for the generations to come. In the words of N. C. Bose, “Subash Chandra Bose’s grand scheme of India’s liberation and the high idealism of the I.N.A. movement inspired the people of India in an unprecedented manner. The organization of the Azad Hind Forces and their exploits are a milestone in the history of the Indian struggle for independence.”

Early Life (1897-1921) :

Subash Bose was born on 23rd January, 1897 at cuttack in Orissa. He started his primary education at Cuttack and passed the Matriculation Examination from Ravenshaw Collegiate School. Then he proceeded to Calcutta and joined the Presidency College. While in College, he came to limelight with the Efoaten incident in which a European professor, who used to denigrate Indian culture was assaulted by him. Subash was expelled from the college and later he had a brilliant educational career at Calcutta University. There he joined the University unit of the territorial army, a training which proved quite helpful to him later. In 1919, he graduated with First Class Honours in Philosophy and was sent to U. K. to compete for the much coveted Indian Civil Service. He successfully passed the ICS examination in 1920 occupying fourth position. But being a patriot to the core of his heart he did not want to show allegiance to the British by remaining in the service. In 1921 he resigned from the civil service to join the freedom struggle. He had been tremendously inspired by the writings of Vivekananda and Aurobindo.

Bose and the Congress Movement (1921-1939) :

Subash met the ‘Mahatma’ and decided to join the Non co-operation Movement in 1921. But when Gandhi decided to withdraw the movement after the chauri chaura incident he was stunned. In his words. “To sound the order of retreat just when public enthusiasm was reaching the boiling point was nothing short of a national calamity.” Bose was appointed as the principal of the National College set up by Deshbandhu Chitta Ranjan Das, his mentor. In 1923 he supported the proposal of Das to carry on the struggle against the British from within the legislatures. Bose supported Motilal Nehru and C.R. Das in organising the Swaraj Party. In the election to the Calcutta corporation C. R. Das was elected the Mayor and Subash Bose was appointed as the chief Executive officer. This association of Subash with C. R. Das continued till the death of C. R. Das in 1925. Then he became the undisputed leader of Bengal. When the Prince of Wales visited Calcutta Subash successfully conducted the boycott of the Prince’s visit and invited the wrath of the British Government. He was deported to Mandalay in 1924, but he was elected to the Bengal Legislative Council in his absence. He was released from prison due to illness.

Subash had great respect for Mahatma Gandhi but differed from him in many ideological and strategical aspects. He belonged to the left wing of the Indian Natioal Congress. Along with Jawaharlal Nehru and Srinivas Iyengar he proposed complete independence as the goal of India as against. Dominion status, proposed by the Nehru report of 1928. At the Lahore Congress in 1929 he demanded a socialist programme along with a constructive programme. At the Karachi Congress of 1931 he stood for a socialist Republic and wanted both political freedom as well as economic emancipation. Economic plannings, land reforms, basic education and basic civil liberties were to be the framework of future congress programme. Subash stayed in Europe from 1933 to 1936. During his stay he tried to educate the public opinion against the exploitative British imperialism. He had to suffer imprisonment many times.

Subash was the president of the All India Trade Union Congress, the Youth Congress and other organisations. He represented the young and extremist element in the congress. He was elected president of the Indian National Congress in 1938 and was re-elected again in 1939 even against the wishes of Gandhiji. He wanted a second term so that the nationalists could take the advantage of the British pre-occupation elsewhere because of the imminent war. But he resigned from the presidenship because many members of the congress working committee did not like his method of work and ideology.

Foundation of Forward Bloc and organisation of INA :

After resigning from the congress Subash founded the Forward Bloc in May, 1939. According to Subash Bose, the Forward Bloc was intended to be a radical and progressive party within the congress, with a view to rallying the entire left wing under one banner.” The difference between Subash and Gandhi was so wide that therewas no question of compromise. Bose was a critic of Gandhian political ideas and technique. Very soon the Forward Bloc became a separate enlity. Forward Bloc under Bose’s leadership started a vigorous movement against the British government with the outbreak of the second world war. When the war began, he argued that ‘British difficulties were India’s opportunity, an idea not liked by congress leadership.

Subash met Savarkar at Bombay on June 22, 1940 and the latter advised him to leave India, organise the Indian forces at Europe and attack British India as soon as Japan declared war. On 2nd July, 1940 he was arrested under Defence of India Rules. He took the decision for a hunger strike and wrote a letter to the British Government stating.” The individual must die, so that the nation may live. Today I must die so that

India may win freedom and glory’. He began his fast on 29th November, 1940 and on health ground he was released on 5h December, 1940. But he was interned in his house at Calcutta under strict police surveillance. Subash escaped from Calcutta on 17th January 1941 eluding the police vigilance. The story of his exape from the country is an epic of adventure. After escaping from India Subash passed through peshawar, Kabul and Moscow and finally reached Berlin on 28th March 1941. In the guise of Maulavi he was able to escape the vigilant eyes of the police. With the help of Italian embassy Subash got a passport in the name of Orlando Majjota and reached Germany.

In Germany he tried to raise an Indian legion. The Indian community in Germany acclaimed him as their leader ‘Netaji’ and greeted him with ‘Jai Hind’. From Berlin radio he frequently urged his countrymen to rise in arms against the British. Bose’s escape to Germany had made a great impression on Gandhiji. Though he had not formally approved many of his actions, now he admired the courage and resourcefulness of Subash in making his escape from India.

The victory of Japan in the middle of the second world war led Subash to think that South-East Asia would be a more suitable ground for raising a national army to free India. Rash Behari Bose, who had settled in Japan since 1915 organised a conference in Tokyo in March 1942 and another in Bangkok in June 1942. Out of these conferences the Indian Independence League was born and it was decided to form an Indian National Army for the liberation of India from British subjection. A Council of Action was formed with Rash Behari Bose as its President and Mohan Singh as commander-in-chief of the Army. But the high-handed attitude of Mohan Singh led to his arrest and Rash Behari assumed the leadership.

The Bangkok conference had sent an invitation to Subash Bose to come to East Asia. After a long sea journey he reached Tokyo on 13th June 1943. The Japanese authorities promised to extend help to Bose to expel the British from India and to enable India to achieve full independence. Then Subash went to Singapore where he was offered the leadership of the Indian National Army and the Presidentship of the Indian Independence League. In organising an army of about 60,000 Indian troops Subash received great help from Japan. He proceeded to organise the provisional Government of Free India as well as the Indian National Army. He stirred the INA in the following words. “In this final march to freedom you will have to face hunger, privation, forced marches and death only when you pass this test will freedom be yours.”

Acclaimed as ‘Netaji’ Subash gave the clarion call “Give me blood and I promise you freedom.” He gave the battle cry of ‘March to Delhi or ‘Delhi chalo’ on 21st October 1943 Subash established the provisional Government of Free India, which was recognised within few days by Japan, Germany, Italy, Burma, Thailand, China. The object was to bring about the expulsion of the British and their Allies from the soil of India. The provisional Government acquired its first Indian territory when Japan handed over Andaman and Nicober islands to it on 6th November 1943. The territories were named as ‘Sahid’ and ‘Swaraj’ island respectively. Subash called upon the Indian people to ‘rally round our banner and to strike for India’s freedom’. The INA brigad assisted by the Japanese army advanced upto the Indian border. The Indian flag was hoisted in Kohima in March 1944. The INA carried on a heroic campaign against the Allied Forces. Netaji moved from one battle field to another. He often flew from Tokyo to Manila to Singapore to Rangoon. Unfortunately on one such trip to Tokyo on 18th August, 1945 Bose was severely injured in a plane crash in Formosa (Taiwan) and died. But there is no clear evidence of his death at the Taihaku airport. His death remained a mystery.

With the defeat of Japan in the war, the INA too met with reverses. The Surrender of Germany on 7th May, 1945, bombing over Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6th and 9th August, 1945 and the reported death of Subash Bose broke the backbone of the INA. Many INA officers were taken as prisoners. But the saga of Subash Bose and INA still remains a great source of inspiration for the youths of India.

The epic struggle of Subash Bose and INA against British colonialism occupies an unchallenged place in the history of freedom struggle in India. Subash Bose being a man of action was convinced of the historic necessity of an armed uprising for achievement of freedom. Although many people have criticised Subash for taking the help of fasicist and Nazist power to gain independence, his patriotism is beyond comparison. For his burning patriotism, his devotion to the cause of Indian freedom and his intense suffering for the sake of his country (he was imprisoned ten times and was in jail for eight years), Subash will always be hailed as a national hero. Apart from the memory of the INA, the lasting gift of Netaji is our national salutation ‘Jai Hind’.