Subhas Chandra Bose, also known as Netaji, was one of the most well-known figures in the Indian freedom movement. Although Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru have received most of the credit for the triumphant end of the Indian freedom fight, Subash Chandra Bose’s participation is no less significant. His proper place in Indian history has been denied to him. In order to topple the British Empire from India, he established the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj), which earned him legendary status among the Indian people.

Early life of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

· On January 23, 1897, Subhas Chandra Bose was born in Cuttack, Orissa. His mother Prabhavati Devi was a devout and religious woman, and his father Janaki Nath Bose was a well-known lawyer.

· In a family of fourteen siblings, Subhas Chandra Bose was the ninth kid born. Subhas Chandra Bose excelled in school from an early age.

· He received a First Class in Philosophy from the Scottish Churches College in Calcutta after winning the matriculation exam for the province of Calcutta.

· He was recognised for his ardent patriotism as a student and was greatly affected by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings. He travelled to England in 1919 to apply for the Indian Civil Services in order to satisfy his parents’ desires.

· In 1920, he took the Indian Civil Service competitive examination in England and finished fourth in order of merit. However, the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre deeply disturbed Subhas Chandra Bose, who left his Civil Services apprenticeship midway to return to India in 1921.

· When Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose returned to India, he was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and joined the Indian National Congress.

· On Gandhiji’s orders, he began working for Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, whom he later recognised as his political guru. He quickly demonstrated his leadership abilities and rose through the ranks of the Congress.

· Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose opposed the Domination Status proposal made by the Motilal Nehru Committee, which the Congress had created, and both stated that they would be content with nothing less than complete independence for India. The Independence League’s creation has also been confirmed by Subhas.

· In 1930, Subhas Chandra Bose was imprisoned as part of the civil disobedience campaign. Following the signing of the Gandhi-Irwin accord, he was freed in 1931.

· When Bhagat Singh and his allies were hanged, he condemned the Gandhi-Irwin accord and opposed the cessation of the civil disobedience movement.

Political life of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

• The man we all know as Netaji, Mr. Subhas Chandra Bose, was a warrior. He began his political career in the Indian National Congress but ran into issues with the party’s leadership.
• Later, he quit the Congress party and founded the Block party, which is now based on his own political philosophy.
• He was fundamentally a socialist leader (perhaps leaning left by temperament), and he believed that India would gain independence by armed conflict rather than through discussion, as advocated by Mr. Mohondas Gandhi and Mr. Jawharlal Nehru.
• His departure from the Congress Party in 1938–1939 made it quite plain that he saw a real-world road to independence from the British through a physical military war on the battlefield.
• As history suggests, the Communist Party of India’s relationship with Mr Subhas Chandra Bose and his party was also strained.
• At the time, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the RSS were not involved in India’s struggle for independence. At the time, the political party BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) had not even been formed.
• So, if we look at history objectively, no political party has the right to claim Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose as their own.
• For the first time, Mr. Subhas Chandra Bose is playing a key role in the West Bengal election. It is taking place because Trinomul Party is attempting to compete with Bharatiya Janata Party for the support of Bengali voters.
• The proper method to run for office is to proudly solicit votes while showcasing the work completed over the previous five years.
• The majority of political parties work hard to improve a state’s industrial output, public service conditions, and other factors. The actual currency to win the public’s hearts and secure votes need to be the outcomes of those efforts.
• Asking voters to vote for some toll leaders who likely died decades ago (such as asking Gujrati voters to vote for Mr Mohandas Gandhi, Bengali voters to vote for Mr Subhas Chandra Bose, or Indian voters to vote for Mr Jawharlal Nehru) is utterly stupid by any political party.
• It is quite amusing to see that when none of our leaders adhere to the core values of those mentioned above but seek votes in their honour.
• Subhas Chandra or Jawaharlal Nehru will not return and begin governing India again.

Subhas Chandra Bose as President Of Indian National Congress Sessions

· During his tenure as Congress President, he was chosen President of the Haripura Congress Session (Gujarat). In October of that same year, he spoke about organising and establishing a National Planning Committee.

· In addition, he defeated Dr. Pattabhi Sitaramayya in the race for president of the Tripuri Congress session. Sitaramayya had received support from Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress Working Committee.

· Due to ideological conflicts between Bose, who had strong communist thinking, and older leaders, who were more right-wing thinkers, this resulted in the Tripuri Crisis in Congress.

· 1940: When INC staged Individual Satyagraha, Subash Chandra Bose convened a “Anti-Compromise Conference” at Ramgarh, Bihar.

· As a result, Bose resigned and established the “Forward Bloc,” the left-wing group within the Congress, at Unnao in U.P.

· He was arrested shortly after for organising a protest against the removal of the Holwell Monument (Memorium for Blackhole tragedy of Calcutta). After being released, he was placed under house arrest in Calcutta.

· For the first time, Mr Subhas Chandra Bose is prominently featured in the West Bengal election.

· The professional way to attempt an election is to proudly display the work done in the previous five years and ask for votes.

·  Most political parties work hard to improve a state’s economy, industrial output, public service situations, and so on.

· The actual currency to win the public’s hearts and secure votes need to be the outcomes of those works.

Views on religion, communalism etc.

• Subhas Chandra Bose’s parents were a major impact on how deeply devout and spiritual he became as well as how much he loved Hindu texts. This was true from his earliest years up until the end of his illustrious career in the South East Asian battlefields in 1945.
• In interaction with the teachings of Vivekananda and Ramkrishna Paramahansa, his religious and spiritual predisposition was further raised and enlarged. He usually carried a little copy of the Bhagavat Gita in his field uniform’s breast pocket.
• Even on the front lines in South East Asia, he would enter a deep state of meditation in the wee hours of the night. He used to drive to Ramakrishna Mission late at night, change into a priestly silk dhoti, shut himself up in the prayer room with rosary in hand, and meditate for a couple of hours.
• In his life’s sorrows and sufferings, weal and woe, he would show his deep devotion to God. “May God now bless our Army and grant us victory in the coming fight,” he said again in his address to the Indian National Army in Singapore.
• Subhas Chandra Bose accepted the Upanishadic concept of ‘Tyaga,’ absorbed the ideal of renunciation for self-realization, and became determined to work indefinitely for the benefit of the country and its labouring masses.
• Being a secularist, Subhas Chandra Bose had an objective viewpoint on all religions. He asserted that the Government of Free India must be wholly neutral and impartial toward all religions and leave it up to each individual to profess or practise the religion of his or her choosing; religion is a personal matter and cannot be made the concern of the State.

Emancipation of Women:

• In terms of female education and female emancipation, Subhas Chandra Bose adopted the ideals of his political mentor Deshabandhu Chitta Ranjan and spiritual mentor Swami Vivekananda.
• He frequently cited examples of virtuous and learned women from ancient India, such as Maitreyee, Gargee, Khana, and Lilabatee. Bose believed in female emancipation in the truest sense of the word and in the liberation of women from all shackles and artificial disabilities—social, economic, and political—and desired to see women granted a very exalted status in the family and society.
• He argued that there should be no discrimination based on money, caste, ethnicity, sex, or creed in the Free India.
• The celebrated role of women in our national struggle, particularly during the Civil Disobedience Movement, with unwavering bravery and an exemplary spirit of sacrifice, shaped his attitude toward women.
• The love, affection, and assistance he received from a few women, particularly his own mother Prabhabati Devi, C.R. Das’ ideal consort Basanti Devi, and Sarat Chandra Bose’s wife Bibhabati Devi, had a huge influence on his views on women.
• Subhas Chandra Bose correctly identified illiteracy and economic dependence as the root causes of women’s serfdom. Bose was adamant about removing all impediments to women’s emancipation.
• He advocated for comprehensive education for women, and he came up with a plan that covered literacy, physical education, and vocational training in light cottage industries. He advocated for ending the Purdah system and widow remarriage.
• The campaign for women’s advancement started to gain traction when Subhas Bose called for their total emancipation in his fiery speeches, and the first women’s organisation in India, the Women’s Indian Association, was founded in Madras in 1917.
• The National Council of Women in India, established in 1925, started coordinating the efforts of Provincial Women’s Councils and other organisations with the goals of advancing and promoting the welfare of women, as well as connecting India with global movements.

• Subhas Chandra Bose outlined his views on economic planning and the industrialization of Free India in his address as president of the 51st Indian National Congress, held in Haripura in February 1938.
• He said, “The very first thing which our future National Government will have to do, would be to set up a Commission for drawing up a comprehensive plan of reconstruction.”
• Bose wanted the state to establish a comprehensive plan for gradually socialising our whole agricultural and industrial system in the areas of both production and distribution on the advice of the National Planning Commission. He also discussed the elimination of landlordism and the repayment of agricultural debt.
• Subhas Chandra Bose established a Planning Committee chaired by Jawaharlal Nehru to expedite India’s modernization in light of the latter’s close relationship with Mahatma Gandhi, who was opposed to the Industrialisation Programme.
• Subhas defined liberty broadly as political, economic, and social freedom. For him, economic liberty was the foundation of social and political liberty.
• Although Subhas Chandra Bose heroically fought for India’s independence, he also saw it as a necessary for his country’s economic well-being.
• He stated: “As long as India is still under British rule, it will be impossible to feed the millions of people who are starving, clothe them, educate them, or improve the nation’s health and physical condition. Putting the cart before the horse in terms of India’s political freedom and industrial development before the country is free.”
• He claimed that foreign dominance was to blame for the shocking poverty, high unemployment rate, and low standard of living. In light of everything, he favoured industrialization and economic rebuilding based on cutting-edge scientific and technological techniques.

Economic Concept:

Netaji’s Escape from India

• Bose left India in 1941 while under house arrest by disguising himself. He began to receive backing from Nazi Germany and even crossed paths with Adolf Hitler.
• He established the Free India Center in Berlin and gathered 4500 Indian POWs who had previously fought for the British in North Africa before being captured by the Axis into the Indian Legion.
• The Indian soldiers of the Indian Legion and representatives of the Special Bureau for India in Berlin bestowed the honorific title of Netaji on Bose in Germany in 1942.
• In 1942-43, World War II was in full swing, and Nazi Germany was losing ground in the west. The Japanese were rapidly advancing in the east. The Bengal Famine and the Quit India movement were raging in India.
• After being disappointed by Germany, Bose moved to Japan in 1943.

Bose and Indian National Army (INA)

• Iwaichi Fujiwara, the head of the Japanese intelligence agency, was the man behind INA.
• He later became a lieutenant general after the war. “To establish an army that would fight alongside the Japanese army,” was his stated objective.
• On the western Malayan peninsula in December 1941, he first met Pritam Singh Dhillon, the head of the Indian Independence League chapter in Bangkok.
• Through Pritam Singh’s network, Mohan Singh, a captured British Indian army captain, was eventually recruited.

9 lesser-known yet inspiring facts about Subhas Chandra Bose, India’s Netaji:

1. Bose, who was born in Odisha in 1897, excelled in school and at the university where he studied due to his remarkable intelligence. In 1918, he successfully completed his BA in philosophy with a first-class grade.

2. In 1920, he passed the Indian Civil Service test in England. After learning about India’s struggle for independence, he ultimately decided to leave his position in the civil service on April 23, 1921.

3. Earlier, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Bose had led the more radical and youthful wing of the Indian National Congress, eventually ascending to the position of Congress President in 1938 and 1939. Following disagreements with Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and the Congress high command, he was expelled from Congress leadership positions in 1939, after openly criticising the Congress’ foreign and internal policies.

4. From 1921 to 1941, he was imprisoned eleven times in various jails for his stand for complete independence.

5. Bose believed that Gandhi’s nonviolent tactics would never be enough to secure independence and advocated for violent resistance.

6. He travelled to several nations during the start of the Second World War, including the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, and Imperial Japan, in order to form alliances with them and launch attacks against the British administration in India. Later, he reorganised with help from the Imperial Japanese and headed the Azad Hind Fauj, also known as the Indian National Army (INA), against the British forces. The INA was composed of Indian prisoners of war and plantation labourers from British Malaya, Singapore, and other Southeast Asian countries. He established the Azad Hind Government in exile with financial, political, diplomatic, and military support from Japan. He also organised and took command of the Indian National Army. They travelled all the way to Manipur in India and helped bring independence to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands alongside the Japanese troops.

7. On August 23, 2007, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe paid a visit to Kolkata’s Subhas Chandra Bose Memorial Hall. “The Japanese are deeply moved by Bose’s strong will to have led the Indian independence movement from British rule,” Abe told Bose’s family.

8. He founded the Azad Hind Radio station in Germany and led the East Asian Indian nationalist movement.

9. Subhas Chandra Bose saw the Bhagvad Gita as a great source of inspiration. Swami Vivekananda’s teachings on universal brotherhood, nationalist ideas, and emphasis on social service and reform instilled in him a vision.

Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti 2022

• Every year on January 23, liberation fighter Subhas Chandra Bose’s birthday is commemorated.
• Bose was born in Cuttack, Odisha, on January 23, 1897. An thinker and statesman of the highest calibre, Netaji is renowned for his unique contribution to the war for Indian independence.
• Given that this year marks Netaji’s 125th birthday, the government has decided to celebrate the day as Parakram Diwas. Not only that, but this year’s Republic Day celebrations will get underway a day early.
• Netaji, the son of Prabhabati and Janakinath Bose, regarded Swami Vivekanand as his spiritual guru. To counter Britishers, he formed the Azad Hind Fauj, a military regiment.
• Bose also established the Rani Jhansi regiment, a female battalion. Bose was the one who first referred to Mahatma Gandhi as the nation’s father.
• Thousands of young people were inspired to join the fight for freedom by Netaji. He quit his ICS job and returned to India from England to join the freedom struggle. He portrayed a social revolutionary.