Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose (23.01.1897 – 18.08.1945) is one of the greatest patriots whose birth overwhelmed the dignity of Mother India. He stood intransigent to his motive of helping the nation to achieve freedom from the British Rule. He was a brilliant student and scholar, a die-hard patriot and nationalist and the most courageous leader the nation ever had. In his life span of 48 years (although not confirmed with proof), he achieved the heights of valiance and vigour which literally brought tremor and quake to the evil conspiratorial policies of the foreign invaders and ripped apart their maleficent intentions. His legacy on astounding patriotism and unmatched courage and chivalry makes him one of the most renowned country-lover ever born on this planet, but yet, few unknown or rare facts about Netaji can catalyse your reasons of adoration towards him; here goes the curtain raiser –
Few of his grandeur achievements!
- Subhash Chandra Bose got the honour of to be summoned as “Netaji” (Respected Leader) in the early 1940s by the Indian soldiers of Indische Legion and by the German and Indian officials of the Special Bureau of India in Berlin. Later he became famous by this title and was summoned as “Netaji” by Mahatma Gandhi in the Tripura Session of Indian National Congress, where he was elected as the President of the association for 1938-39.
- Netaji literally proved that enemy of an enemy is actually a friend of one. He was the first Indian to reach out the call and necessity to foreign nations for making India free from British Rule. His ambivalent legacy is proved by his collaboration with Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan during the World War II, which helped him in the formation and reinforcement of Azad Hind Fauj.
- Netaji started a newspaper “Swaraj” under the mentorship of Chittaranjan Das and took charge of publicity for the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee. Furthermore, he became editor of the Newspaper “Forward” founded by Chittaranjan Das in 1923.
- Netaji served Calcutta Municipal Corporation as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) during the era when Chittarjan Das was elected as the Mayor of Calcutta in 1924.
- Netaji was elected as Mayor of Kolkata in 1930.
- Netaji created the popular slogan “Jai Hind”.
- Netaji was the Head of State and Government or Prime Minister of the Provincial Government of Free India (undivided India) from 21.10.1943 to 18.08.1945 and was the first to unfurl and hoist the national flag on the grounds of British India at Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1945.
- Netaji was featured on the stamps of India from 1964, 1993, 1997, 2001, 2016 and 2018.
Extracts of his personal life..
- Netaji became follower of Swami Vivekananda and Shri Ramkrishna Paramahansa at his early age of 16 and realised that religion is somewhere more important than education.
- Netaji stood second in his Matriculation examination in 1913.
- Netaji completed his Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy from Scottish Church under the aegis of Calcutta University in the year 1918. Later he went to Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and matriculated on November 19, 1919.
- Netaji is one of the very few notable personalities of British India who cleared the Indian Civil Services. Netaji stood fourth in the ICS in 1921 and very soon resigned from his post on April 23, 1921 due to his unwillingness to serve the alien government. Netaji is the first Indian to resign from the reputations of being an ICS Official before getting a posting due to his love for motherland India. At the time of his resignation, he wrote to his elder brother, Sarat Chandra Bose, “Only on the soil of sacrifice and suffering can we raise our national edifice.”
- Netaji was introduced to Miss Emile Schenkl by a mutual friend at Germany in 1934 and married her following Hindu tradition in 1942.
- Netaji became father of a baby girl on November 29, 1942.
- Bose escaped from the surveillance of British from his Elgin Road house in Calcutta at 01:25 AM on January 17, 1941 accompanied by his nephew Sisir Kumar Bose in a German-made Wanderer W24 sedan car. The car was bought by his elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose in 1934. Registration number of the car is BLA 7169.
During his escape from his house at Elgin Road Calcutta, he went to Gomoh (place at then Bihar) and from there to Peshawar by train. He went to Kabul and from there he traveled to Germany to seek help for India’s independence from Adolf Hitler. He was asked to wait outside Hitler’s office. After waiting for a long time, Hitler came outside the office but did not meet Netaji. Netaji always went past him but did not saw him intentionally. This happened several times. At last, Hitler went to Netaji and put his hands on Netaji’s shoulders. He was so busy in reading newspapers that he did not looked up. After few minutes, he looks up to him and says “Hitler”. Hitler asked back “How can you be so sure that I am Hitler?”. At this, he replied,” Only Hitler and that too the real one can dare to place hands on my shoulders”. To fool his enemies, Hitler had kept many look alike of him but could not fool the great Netaji.
The earth takes a day to rotate about its axis, a year to revolve round the sun, a gap of four years makes a year leap, but, personalities like Netaji can never have any frequency or recurrences to take birth and revitalise the pride of nation. His vigilant and courageous moves towards his initiatives in making India free from British rule not only shook the piratical intentions of the foreigners, but also ripped apart many conspirational approach of countrymen who were addicted in their quest of getting personal benefits from the foreign rule keeping national security and integrity at stake.
