Subhash Chandra Bose
Subhash Chandra Bose was born in Orissa to a wealthy family. He was an Indian Civil Services officer. He resigned in 1921 and participated in the national movement alongside Gandhi and later with Nehru. However, his political beliefs were more extremist and revolutionary than the peace and compromise attitude that characterized Congress politics under Gandhi’s leadership.
He met Hitler in 1941 and asked Germany to help the Indian armed forces, but it did not yield anything substantial. His perceived dictatorial stance and his compromise with violence alienated many popular Congress leaders and this caused a rift in the 1939 Congress presidential election. Bose was adamant and resigned from the Congress.
The contribution of Subhash Chandra Bose in the freedom struggle is unsurpassed. He was one of the main Indian revolutionaries in the leagues of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Subhash Chandra Bose was one of the first Indian revolutionaries who actively sought external alliances with other major powers and formed the Indian National Army to resist the British forces.
Realizing the importance of alliance, he advocated the unification of Hindu and Muslim forces to fight against British imperialism while Gandhi was carrying out his non-violent and fasting protests.
Freedom Struggle in India
Bose’s inclination towards socialist reforms rather than constitutional reforms won him supporters among Congress politicians. He had a prominent position in the Congress until 1939 when he formed his party in the Congress (The Forward Bloc) after resigning as the President of the Congress (Tripuri Session).
By this time he had started Azad Hind Radio and was able to secure Indian prisoners of war (POW) from Germany. Around 1941-42, Japanese forces lent their support to expatriate Indians under the leadership of Pritam Singh (Indian Independence League).
Under the leadership of Captain Mohan Singh and several other POWs from Southeast Asia, the Indian Independence League force was formed in June 1942. With the help of Rash Behari Bose, Subhash Chandra Bose assumed command of the Indian National Army in 1943.
Subhash Chandra Bose’s contribution in the freedom struggle:
• The activities of the INA and Bose’s determination to free India at any cost made him a great patriot and hero of the Indian national movement
• He and his army have been a source of inspiration for many young people today
• His leadership skills and motivational speeches left a lasting impact on the Indian mind
• Bose’s activities have received international attention in varying degrees regarding the Indian freedom struggle
Subhash Chandra Bose’s struggles in his resistance to British authority earned him the title of ‘Netaji’ in Berlin. Despite his best efforts and good intentions, the military legacy of Subhash Chandra Bose and his army has many valid criticisms in retrospect – anti-Semitism, support for fascist ideologies and powers such as Japan and Germany during World War II (WWII), as well as tactical military failures. But his thoughts and efforts have been recognized as heroic in the Indian history of freedom.
written by : Vaishali Verma
