Netaji!

For us Indians, this is one name that is in sync with patriotism and leadership. One name that is respected in India, but seen with suspicion With the Allied powers of the west. A name that suddenly disappeared in the pages of history, denying the people of India a leader they held in high esteem, and the highest office in post independent India.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, was that exemplary leader, where we the citizens of modern India admire and would proudly follow. 

My article on Netaji is more to do with the perceptions we as Indians, held historically and hold now, considering the fact of his mysterious disappearance and the relevant Netaji files cropping up and began making rounds in the media circles making every Media Mogul, a Virtual Judge to the entire episode.

Many people probably did not know that Netaji was once the President of the Indian National Congress, elected twice in the years 1938 and 1939, after which he resigned as his methods
 were considered against the non violent policies of Mahatma Gandhi and also due to disagreements, with the selection of the working committee.

(Picture: The Congress session of Haripura in 1938 after which Netaji resigned from the INC).

Even in the Congress Netaji loved dressing up in the army uniform and also held parades especially during the tenure of Shri Motilal Nehru's term in 1928 of being the President of the INC. Netaji had a senior British military officer's dress tailored by Calcutta-based British firm, Harman's, complemented by an aiguillette and a field marshal's baton; he also assumed the title of general officer commanding, much to the chagrin of Gandhi, who described the whole thing as "Bertram Mills circus". 

(Picture: Motilal Nehru and Netaji at the Calcutta Session in December 1928).

In the picture shown above, you will see the distinct style in which Netaji dressed up in a Military uniform, even as a member of Indian National Congress.

I am not going to discuss his life after the Congress till he boarded that plane which reportedly ended his life, as that's a well known saga in every Indian household.

What bothers me and makes me think, is the manner in which he died, the manner in which his death was reported and announced to the people of India, the reasons why his death has been so much of a debate and if at all, the reasons for keeping the details of his death a secret for over 70 years by successive Indian Governments, whether it was the INC, Janata Party, Janata Dal or the BJP.

For me to explain and understand the circumstances of his disappearance, I need to go back to that period, rather than take novice judgement on events that happened over 70 years ago, something some of the people of the present times enjoy doing as a pastime, without understanding or finding facts that led to these events.

1945 was the year, Normandy landing took place, Germany laid down arms in Europe and former Nazi leaders and scientists secretly negotiated asylum in America and Argentina, Japan had two of its cities nuked and finally offered unconditional surrender. INA was decimated and it's top leaders and soldiers captured. India was still under the British rule and did not even have the interim government which was later formed in 1946. 

The world was at the mercy of the Allied forces, which included USSR, UK and USA. The media was totally controlled by the British and so was the propaganda of the war in India. Then why was Netaji's death a mystery? I logically derive the following possibilities,

1. Netaji may have been a hero in India, but in the eyes of the Allied powers, he was an associate of the Nazis and the Empire of Japan. Therefore, his death even in normal circumstances would have been a plus point for the allied forces. The British wouldn't have allowed Netaji to be made a martyr of, again even if his death occurred in normal circumstances, as he was classified, rather more in the same category of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Chandrashekhar Azad and the other revolutionaries, who chose to take up arms against the British in India. Kindly note, that even they were not allowed to be made a martyr of and were branded as terrorists by the British.

2. A God given situation for the British, where they did not need to bloody their hands by killing Netaji, they simply had an opportunity to wash their hands of it by declaring his death on an air-crash that happened. Thereby, denying any further armed revolution by Indians under INA in the future. Like the saying in Hindi, ' Saanp bhi mare aur lathi bhi na tuthe', the British found this the most convenient way to shut things up with the INA, a few years before independence.

3. That he died in the place crash shot down by USSR. Now, in this situation, USSR was an ally of Britain before the cold war set in, and this news could have sent in a wave of extreme anger and rage in India, which could have caused serious damage to the Government and probably may have catapulted to be titled as the Second war of Indian Independence. Fear of these factors, may have prompted the British government to hush things up and give Netaji's death a mystery, keeping everyone guessing.

4. And that he survived the air crash and was held prisoner in USSR or in Japan as per, some theories doing rounds. There is a place called Renkoji Temple in Japan where Netaji's ashes are supposed to have been kept. 

(Picture: Renkoji temple in Japan)

(Picture: Netaji's bust kept outside the Renkoji temple)

Now, this sounds ridiculous, as if at all he was alive and returned to India in the form of some Baba in Uttar Pradesh, why did he keep quite and not return to the main foray, for the kind of man he was. I believe this to be the work of empty minded people to create unnecessary rumors, which are found in abundance in a country like ours. Netaji always had the years between 1945-1950, till we became a republic to announce his return, but again I strongly feel this is like an Urban Legend.

Blaming Nehru for everything related to him is absurd and unfair for reasons cited above.

(Picture: A ridiculous and false propaganda by the certain political parties showing a Tibetan monk as Netaji at Nehru's funeral)

Pandit Nehru paid a tribute to his former colleague, "In the struggle for the cause of India's independence he has given his life and has escaped all those troubles which brave soldiers like him have to face in the end. He was not only brave but had deep love for freedom. He believed, rightly or wrongly, that whatever he did was for the independence of India ... Although I personally did not agree with him in many respects, and he left us and formed the Forward Bloc, nobody can doubt his sincerity. He struggled throughout his life for the independence of India, in his own way."

However, the subsequent result was the Red fort trails, where Netaji's commanders were held for treason and Congress intervened to ensure that never happened, doubling it up with the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny at Mumbai. 

The period between 1946-1950, India had an Interim Government led by Jawaharlal Nehru. Please note that Netaji's elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose was a part of this government. Someone who loved Netaji dearly.

(Picture: Members of the interim government outside the Council Room in the Viceroy's House, New Delhi, shortly before their swearing-in ceremony. From left to right: Sarat Chandra Bose, Jagjivan Ram, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Asaf Ali, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Syed Ali Zaheer).

After India was formed as a Republic, the world was drawn in a new era of conflict, that between the Capitalists and the Communists, the NATO, CENTO, SEATO Vs The Warsaw Pact, an era of the Cold War. A conflict which never resulted in a direct warfare between the two super powers of that time, the USA and the USSR. 

India, chose a third option of remaining non aligned and Nehru along with Tito, Sukarno and a few other world leaders started the Non Aligned movement. However, the conflict with Pakistan and the wars that resulted over Kashmir, India was drawn closer to the USSR for arms and ammunition as Pakistan was part of the SEATO and received a lot of modern warfare equipment from the United States.

India's relation with USSR, and the possible relativity theory linking Netaji's death with USSR in a pre independent India, would probably have jeopardised the new Friendship Treaty that was forged during that time. 

I am sure the British Government during Independence would have passed down the Confidential files, relating to Netaji's death to the new Indian Government. The subsequent revelation of this death and the possible resurgence of INA, in an already bleeding India, due to the partition may have prevented the Government from disclosure of what exactly happened to Netaji, as logically, it would have just added salt over open wounds. It was noted that Netaji wanted ruthless dictatorship in India, if at all he became it's supreme leader.

Ref:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Netaji-Subhas-Chandra-Bose-wanted-ruthless-dictatorship-in-India-for-20-years/articleshow/46980513.cms

What people today fail to understand that the British had acquired a golden bird, India by 1818, and turned it into a poor, hungry, weak and bleeding India in 1947, when they handed it over to the Indian Government in 1947.

The Government had very little to stand on it's own feet with half it's wealth, a huge part of land, 1/3rd of it's military and other assets, donated to Pakistan.

It probably was one of the biggest challenges of it's time, as no other country experienced the largest exodus of humans in recorded history that happened in 1947, due to the partition.

All these reasons make me ponder as to why Netaji may have not been significant to the Government, at that point in time, as nevertheless he wasn't in India, whether in life or death at the time of Independence or during formation of the Interim Government or during formation of the republic.

The Netaji files were, for reasons mentioned above, kept under wraps even by subsequent governments. Even opposition parties, who questioned and keep questioning Nehru's Government even after 50 years of Nehru's death, on Netaji's disappearance, when came in power declined to reveal the Netaji files, thereby giving a testimony that whatever the previous Government did, was ONLY in the national interest. As this may have caused upheaval of India's relations with other countries, for something that happened even before Independence.

I feel it is absolutely and extremely unfair by certain people today, to question the Government's actions in a time, they weren't present in and have absolutely no idea about, without understanding the reasons for having taken such actions and directly blaming, accusing, and maligning the name of Nehru.

People forget that there were Prime Ministers from other parties who had the opportunity to reveal the files, but like having said earlier, they chose not to and obviously more so for reasons beyond mine and your understanding. Like they say sometimes, 'Somethings are better left unspoken' rather than open the Pandora's box and repent. I just feel that we have to accept that whatever happened in it's time had it's own reasons rather than question history and become a self appointed judge to quote that 'We will rewrite history of the Indian National Congress and India', irrespective of the consequences that may arise thereafter. Most importantly forgetting that none of the people from the first Government, who made the policies on the Netaji files are alive today to provide justification and reason, thereby making stone throwing much easier.

Whatever, the present Government plans to reveal on Netaji's birthday on the 23rd January 2016, the people of India are in for a surprise and that too if the Government plans to reveal the entire Netaji files story and I do hope they do as at least Indian people will have one less mystery to deal with.

As for me, Netaji is somebody I remember very fondly and respectfully. I wish we had a leader of his caliber to lead the country today and his principles where no doubt required by a country like ours, where freedom is many a times, taken for granted.