Subhash Chandra Bose

Freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose’s declassification of files was in news. This makes it a probable topic for UPSC to frame questions. So here are some facts related to Subhash Chandra Bose who was fondly named, “Natalia” by his followers.

1) Subhas Chandra Bose was born on 23 January 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa Division, Bengal Province, to Prabhavati Devi and Janakinath Bose, an advocate.He was the ninth in a family of 14 children. He was strongly influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings and was known for his patriotic zeal as a student. He also adored Vivekananda as his spiritual Guru.

2) He came fourth in the ICS examination and was selected, but he did not want to work under an alien government which would mean serving the British. As he stood on the verge of taking the plunge by resigning from the Indian Civil Service in 1921, he wrote to his elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose: "Only on the soil of sacrifice and suffering can we raise our national edifice."

3) He started the newspaper Swaraj and took charge of publicity for the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee. His mentor was Chittaranjan Das.

4)In 1927 Bose became general secretary of the Congress party and worked with Jawaharlal Nehru for independence.

5)In 1928, the Motilal Nehru Committee appointed by the Congress, declared in favour of Dominion Status, but Netaji along with Pt Nehru opposed it.

6)He was arrested for participating in the civil disobedience movement; thereafter in 1930 he became the mayor of Calcutta.

7)He was unanimously elected President of the Haripura Congress Session in 1938.

8)At the end of his first term, the presidential election to the Tripuri Congress session took place early in 1939. Netaji was re - elected defeating Dr Pattabhi Sitaramayaa who had been backed by the Mahatma.

9)He resigned from congress in 1939 due to differences with the congress. He went on to establish All India Forward Bloc which was favoured and backed by Mutthuramlinga Thevar.

10)In January 1942, he began his regular broadcasts from Radio Berlin, which aroused tremendous enthusiasm in India.

11)He took over from Rash Behari Bose the leadership of the Indian Independence Movement in East Asia, organised the Azad Hind Fauj (the Indian National Army), and becoming its Supreme Commander on August 25, proclaimed the Provisional Government of Azad Hind on October 21.

12)The I.N.A. Headquarters was shifted to Rangoon in January 1944, and marching thence towards their Motherland with the war cry "Chalo Delhi!"

13)The Azad Hind Fauj crossed the Burma Border, and stood on Indian soil on 18 March 1944.Tthe brave Army subsequently advanced up to Kohima and Imphal, Free India's banner was hoisted aloft there to the deafening cries of "Jai Hind" and "Netaji Zindabad". The atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki compelled Japan to surrender and the I.N.A. subsequently to retreat,

14)Netaji was reportedly killed in an air crash over Taipeh, Taiwan (Formosa) on 18 August 1945.

15)There is a memorial of subhash Chandra bose in Renkoji Temple in Japan.