Netaji: The Forgotten Hero

History is a mysterious subject, all though it leaves us clues but it doesn't give a definite answer always. One of those mysteries is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, who dedicated his life towards the Indian freedom struggle, but we never came to know the end of it and so was his diminished recognition in the masses.

The contribution of Netaji was at the highest eons of our freedom struggle, who made a direct impact on the British to re-think their India strategy. He was the finest and brightest son of the country and also has been conferred the highest civilian honour of the country, the Bharat Ratna.

Netaji’s life has been no less interesting, almost a cloak and dagger story that climaxed into a controversial plain crash, some still believing that he survived the crash and lived for many long years incognito. At the height of the Indian freedom struggle movement, during the World War II, he left India and headed the Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauj.

When the country was passing through a period of great expectations and uncertainty in 1946, the whole nation of undivided India came together for the INA. He gave the slogan of Delhi Chalo, which mobilised the masses. His strategy was to attack the British both from inside and outside. Subhash Chandra Bose had radical approach for India’s freedom.

One of the most revolutionary things that Netaji did was the founding of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment in 1943, a women-only regiment. Interestingly, Netaji had made a daring Submarine to Submarine transfer with a Japanese crew near Madagascar, while travelling from Europe to Japan.

During the Bengal famine of 1943, in which about one third to half of Bengal’s population died, Netaji offered to send rice from Burma to Bengal, but the British not only suppressed the news, they never allowed it happen. Churchill said that while he would bomb all the Germans to death, he would kill the ‘vicious’ Indians by starving them to death.

Although there have been a lot of controversies surrounding the life and death of Netaji, his courage is still admirable. In his opinion, “when we have to fight, we have to fight”. If only we had even a tenth of his courage, determination and willingness to sacrifice, we would have got our freedom much earlier. His famous lines are "Give me blood and I will give you freedom".

Nevertheless, Netaji is a legend to many and he will always be remembered with much respect and love by the ordinary Indian people that make India what it is.


Read about another war hero of the 1962 Indo-China war who fought with the Chinese single-handedly for 3 days.

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