On 21 October 1943, Subhash Chandra Bose announced the formation of the Provisional Government of Azad Hind in Singapore, with himself as the head of state, prime minister and war minister. The Provisional Government not only enabled Bose to negotiate with the Japanese on an equal footing, but also helped mobilize Indians in East Asia to join and support the Indian National Army (INA).

Subhash Chandra Bose led the freedom struggle from outside the country. He considered the outcome of the Second World War (1939-45) as an important opportunity for India’s independence.

Bose was put under house arrest in 1940 but on 28 March 1941, he managed to escape to Berlin. The Indian community there hailed him as Netaji. He was greeted with ‘Jai Hind’. In 1942, the Indian Independence League was formed and it was decided to form the Indian National Army (INA) for the independence of India.

On the invitation of Rash Behari Bose, Subhash Chandra Bose came to East Asia on 13 June 1943. He was made the President of the Indian Independence League and the leader of the INA, popularly called the ‘Azad Hind Fauj’.

In 1919, he passed the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination. However, Bose later resigned from the civil service.

Subhash Chandra Bose was highly influenced by the teachings of Vivekananda and considered him his spiritual guru. While Chittaranjan Das was his political guru.

In 1921, Bose took over the editorship of the newspaper ‘Forward’ published by Chittaranjan Das’ Swaraj Party and later started his own newspaper ‘Swaraj’.

He supported unconditional Swaraj i.e. independence and opposed the Motilal Nehru Report which talked of Dominion status for India. He actively participated in the Salt Satyagraha of 1930 and opposed the suspension of the Civil Disobedience Movement and the signing of the Gandhi-Irwin Pact in 1931. In 1938, Bose won the election of the President of the Congress in Haripur. He founded a new party ‘Forward Bloc’. Its objective was to strengthen the political left and the main support base in his home state of Bengal.

On 12 September 1944, at the Jubilee Hall in Rangoon, on the memorial day of Shaheed Jatindra Das, Netaji (Subhash Chandra Bose) gave a very touching speech saying – ‘Now our independence is certain, but freedom demands sacrifice. You give me blood, I will give you freedom.’ 

In my understanding, the aforesaid wirds of Subhash Chandra Bose was the one that infused life into the youth of the country, which is written in golden letters not only in the history of India but the world and will always be a source of inspiration for all of us. My heartfelt salutations to the true son of the soil.

Article written by and Editorial credit: State Bureau Chief Himanshu Nauriyal.