Born in Cuttack, Orissa on the 23rd of January, 1897, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was born into a family of privilege that shrouded him through the entirety of his adolescent years.

However, it didn’t take long for him to break away from the societal mould of privilege and turned him into the man who single-handedly acquired freedom for the Indian state.

A few events from his life highlighted his effect on the battlefront of the Indian freedom struggle.

The forgotten hero of India, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose

The following are few such events from the life of India’s bravest son.

Showing The Consequences Of Heckling To Oaten At Presidency College

Netaji had staunchly been intolerant of any form of injustice that was meted out by authority figures no matter who they were. On such a note, it was E.F. Oaten, a professor at the Presidency College, who suffered the brunt for misusing his authority on the Indian students.

The stairs of Presidency college still kissed by the calls of revolution and rebellion

Thus, on the 15th of February, 1916, Oaten found himself being whacked by the open palm of Bose’s hand. This was followed by the entire student fraternity giving Oaten a taste of his own doing. Suffice to say, he thought twice before calling any other Indian native, “a bunch of savages.

Fun fact: When Netaji was being expelled by the Principal, all he said was “thank you.” Pretty rad if you ask me.

Formation Of The Forward Bloc Upon Resigning From The Indian National Congress

Netaji was known for many things and compromising his political views was something he was not known for.

Approaching the final moments in his political career with the Indian National Congress, Netaji had started having numerous differences with the premiers of the party- Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. This led to his resignation and the decision to form his own political party.

Netaji with his mentor and rival, Mahatma Gandhi

From the ashes of his resignation, rose the All India Forward Bloc. Opposing the more pacifist approach of the INC, it sought to actively revolt against the British Raj using every other method that would make the British wince.


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Escaping From Calcutta And Meeting The Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler

His meeting with the German dictator is fairly well known, and his escapade from his Calcutta home is absolute gold for a proper spy film (James Bond irl) which makes this entire episode extremely interesting.

Disguising himself as a Pathan Kabuliwala with his trusted aide and nephew, Sisir Kumar Bose, he ventured off to travel to Germany.

Reaching Nazi Germany was an arrival marked with little celebration as the entire affair was kept under heavy discretion.

Netaji with the Fuhrer of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler. A strange ally indeed

What still surprises many a historian to this day is the man’s love for his country that led him to meet history’s most notorious figure in recent years. 

Formation Of The Provisional Government Under The Azad Hind Fauj

With the formation of the provisional government in Singapore, Netaji turned himself into the light of the freedom struggle in India. It signified India’s never-ending thirst to struggle and achieve her needs and wants.

The formal formation of the Indian Provisional Government in Singapore, 1943

This government provided the Indian masses with the much-needed morale boost that led the Azad Hind Fauj to establish their hold on the Arakan Valley, Imphal and Manipur. 

The Plane Crash That Changed The Course Of History

The event that shook the history of India and still does to this day. It is still argued as to how Bose’s last days are still shrouded in mystery, dividing the conspiracy theories and supposed historicals into two.

Much more than that, this (un)fateful event turned the politics of India on its back and made the already volatile state of the Indian demographic turn more volatile.

Gumnami, one of the many disguises that Netaji may have donned according to conspiracy theorists. The makeup is pretty on point to be fair

And, as they say, when there is death there is politics for politicians were not far behind to obtain their piece of the cake. Till now, his death has shaken the sensibilities of Indian politics. 

It is a mad man’s dream to believe that he will be the cause of never-ending debate and arguments with absolutely no end even after someone’s death. But India is a country of madmen. Men that believe politicizing one’s death will secure the last morsels of the vote bank that they hungrily fawn over. 

Hence, it is my request to anyone and everyone reading this, it doesn’t matter if you celebrate Parakram Diwas or Desh Nayak Diwas. All you need to remember is that do not be swayed by what your favourite political figure tells you. That is the last thing that matters. 


Image Source: Google Images

Sources: Indian Express, Revolutionary Democracy, India Today, The Wire, Hindustan Times

Connect with the Blogger: @kushan257

This post is tagged under: Netaji, netaji birthday, netaji subhash chandra bose, azad hind fauj, Azad Hind Government, Indian National Congress, parakram diwas, british, British Raj , Calcutta, kolkata, Adolf Hitler, Adolf Hitler nazi, japan, indian national army japan, gumnani baba subhash chandra bose, mahatma gandhi, jawaharlal nehru, #gandhi


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