The Springing Tiger

If you are born in a Bengali family, you are expected to be able to know and sing Rabindra sangeet, similarly you will be taught about India's freedom struggle and about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose among quite a few other things. Then again, in my family every generation has each seen a Netaji-enthusiast, if I may say so. In our generation that is me. I have been accumulating quite some facts about Netaji over the last few years so this is a perfect place to share that...

I have heard people branding the current generation as "they don't know anything about Netaji" many times. I am not saying that the current generation as a whole is very enthusiastic about Indian history, but I would also say that the past generation has done nothing to imbibe in us a sense of patriotism. We learn what we see, so if our parents and teachers never lead us by example, how do they expect us to learn and show interest in our tradition, culture and country? Apart from home, there's another place to learn - in school. For people who are off touch with history after high school, what did they learn about Netaji from text books? Our history book, the one published in Delhi said that Netaji was killed in an air crash on August 18, 1945. How did they know? What proof did they have? If the government tries to wipe someone out of the minds of our countrymen, how are we going to stop that?

I am a follower of Rabindranath. I try to understand his inspiring poetry and songs and try to live up to them as much as possible. I know that who tolerates oppression is no less at fault than the oppressor and I also know that when the call of humanity/truth comes we will have to answer to that. I got a chance to attend a seminar at Netaji Bhawan on the eve of Netaji's 108th birth anniversary, I was happy that I would be able to get some of my questions answered. The entire afternoon I went through paper clippings about Shah Nawaz committee, Khosla commission, day to day reports of Mukherjee Commission, news reports, articles by Pabitra Ghosh and similar stories that my uncle has patiently collected. [Kakun's idol is Sidhu jetha and he is getting quite close to being the "encyclopedia".] Armed with the knowledge of the fake plane crash and the high discrepancy between the so called eye-witnesses' reports, I went to take on those people who are happily basking in the reflected glory of Netaji and have made quite a marketable commodity out of our great statesman.

I wouldn't go into much details about the seminar. I just want to let you know that I confronted the Bose family and though Sugato Bose was trying to snub me down, my loud voice and fast speech finally got to ask all the questions (read rhetorical questions). They couldn't answer. Well, they didn't have anything to say. They are claiming that the ashes at Renkoji temple are Netaji's. Do they have any proof of that? Was there any recorded plane crash on August 18, 1945? No. What happened to the documents? They are all burnt ( oh sure!) One eye witness said the plane nose dived and crashed. Another said it broke from the middle, while a third said it toppled to the right side. They all claim to be on the same flight. Is that what you call a "slight discrepancy"? Well, the crowd did cheer for me!!! (I feel so happy even now when I think about it.) It doesn't solve the problem, but it does open some eyes.

The Supreme Commander of Azad Hind Fauj

Do you know what Netaji's plan of action was when he became the President of the Indian National Congress in 1938? The first thing on his list was population control. He said that if we can't control the number of mouths to feed, all our plans will fall through. If he were here, we wouldn't have the dreaded Partition, nor would anyone fan the flames of communal problems. There wouldn't be any separate penal codes. Can you imagine? India, Pakistan and Bangladesh together as a superpower!!! The Arzi Hukumat e Azad Hind (Provisional Government of Free India) was formed on October 21, 1943 and two days later, on October 23rd, following the Geneva Convention, Netaji declared war against the Allied Forces. Just think of the nerves of steel!! India can't even shut the silly infiltrators out now and Netaji declared war against the Allied forces!! Apart from the bold supreme commander there was a nation builder side to him as well. Do you know that in the Indian National Army (INA)'s kitchen everyone shared the same food irrespective of caste, creed, religion? They ate sitting next to one another. The only salutation was "Jai Hind". To the INA country came first and then religion. Like Abid Hasan says, it is not that they abandoned their religions. Abid became a better Muslim while he was serving in the INA but he was at first an Indian. 

It is our bad luck that Netaji could never come back to lead us in free India. What happened to him? 

However much they try, it is not possible to quiet the "roaring tiger of Bengal". Netaji's spirit is still here amongst us. If it is possible, get a copy of Anuj Dhar's "Back from Dead" and you will time travel through the fake plane crash to the fake commissions. I think it is a must read for every Indian. I recently got a Kindle copy of "India's biggest cover up" by the same author. I am reading it now. It is, I would say the follow up to the previous book, but you can read it just by itself as well. Take a look at Shyam Benegal's "The Forgotten Hero" as well if you haven't. I think we, as Indians have complete right to know the fate of our hero and it is high time that we know it. We will never let Netaji become "forgotten".

Jai Hind!!

[Some parts are excerpted and translated from my speech on "Netaji and the present generation" at Jadavpur University, Calcutta.]