'Netaji'

Subhash Chandra Bose is fondly remembered as one of the greatest freedom fighters of India, and popularly known by the name of ‘Netaji’ (Respected Leader). He was strongly influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings, and also believed that the Bhagavad Gita was a great source of inspiration for the struggle against the British. Bose was an Indian nationalist, and a prominent figure of the Indian independence movement. The leader spearheaded the revolutionary Indian National Army during World War II. He always pitched for complete and unconditional independence of India from the British Rule.
S. C. Bose was a twice-elected President of the Indian National Congress (INC), founder and President of the All India Forward Bloc, and founder and Head of State of the Provisional Government of Free India, which he led alongside the Indian National Army from 1943 until his demise in 1945. Spoken as a part of a motivational speech for the Indian National Army at a rally of Indians in Burma in July 1944, Bose’s most famous slogan was “Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom!”

Early Life of S. C. Bose

Subhash Chandra Bose, popularly known by the name of ‘Netaji’ (Respected Leader), was born to Prabhavati Devi and Janakinath Bose on January 23 in 1897 in Odisha. He took admission into the Protestant European School which was run by the Baptist Mission. He did B A in Philosophy from the Presidency College in Calcutta, and was later expelled for assaulting Professor for the latter’s anti-India remarks. After the incident, Bose was considered as one of the rebel-Indians. During his college days, he gradually developed nationalistic temperament, and became socially and politically aware. He found Britishers’ insults to Indians in public places as offensive. In December 1921, Bose was arrested and imprisoned for organising a boycott of the celebrations to mark the Prince of Wales’s visit to India. Bose left for England in 1919 to appear for Indian Civil Service Examination. 

Political Life of Subhash Chandra Bose

After a few years, Bose returned to India as he resigned from his civil service job in April 1921, and later joined the Indian National Congress to fight for the independence of India. Subhash Chandra Bose started the newspaper known as ‘Swaraj’, and took charge of publicity for the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee. In 1923, Bose was elected as the President of All India Youth Congress and as the Secretary of Bengal State Congress. He was also editor of the newspaper called ‘Forward’, founded by his mentor Chittaranjan Das, and he served as the CEO of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation. By December 1927, Bose was appointed as the General Secretary of the INC. In November 1934, he wrote the first part of his book ‘The Indian Struggle’, which was about nationalism and India’s independence movement during 1920–1934, but the British government banned the book. By 1938, he agreed to accept nomination as the Congress President, and presided over the Haripur session. However, due to his strong differences with Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, he resigned in 1939. 

Subhash Chandra Bose’s Role in India’s Independence

S C Bose was always in favour of armed revolution in order to expel the Britishers from India. During the time when the Second World War took place, Bose revived the Indian National Army (INA) with the help of the Imperial Japanese Army, and also founded an Indian Radio Station called ‘Azad Hind Radio’. A few years later, he travelled to Japan, where more soldiers and civilians joined the INA. Even when faced with military reverses, Bose was able to maintain support for the Azad Hind movement. In Europe, S C Bose sought help from Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini for the liberation of India. Bose had struck an alliance with Japan and Germany as he felt that his presence in the East would help India in the freedom struggle against the British. 

Subhash Chandra Bose’s famous quotes

S C Bose’s most famous slogans/quotes are “Give me blood and I will give you freedom”, Dilli Chalo (“On to Delhi)!” This was the call he used to give to the INA army to encourage them. “Jai Hind”, or, “Glory to India!” was another slogan used by him, and later adopted by the Government of India and the Indian Armed Forces. Another slogan coined by him was “Ittefaq, Etemad, Qurbani” (Urdu for “Unity, Agreement, Sacrifice”). INA also used the slogan “Inquilab Zindabad”, which was coined by Maulana Hasrat Mohani. In July 1944, in a speech broadcast by the Azad Hind Radio from Singapore, Bose addressed Mahatma Gandhi as the “Father of the Nation”. 

Death of Subhash Chandra Bose

Subhash Chandra Bose is believed to have died in a plane crash in Taiwan in 1945, but his body was never found. There have been several theories regarding his disappearance. The government had set up a number of committees to investigate the case and come out with the truth.