Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

FREEDOM MOVEMENT

SUBHAS CHANDRA BOSE 1897-1948

Subhas Chandra Bose was a Man of Destiny, if there ever was one. What is the mark of a man of destiny? That he is born with a mission. That he creates his own milieu to fulfil it. That he infuses others with his own faith and purpose, makes them embrace poverty, suffering, death itself for the cause. That he writes his will across the lives of millions. All this Netaji did.

movements, he always wanted to widen their scope and quicken their tempo. Whenever these movements were halted or withdrawn, as happened more than once, Bose became fu- rious, and gave vent to his anger and frustra- tion.” In December 1921 Bose was arrested in connection with the Civil Disobedience Move- ment. On January 11,1923, the All-India Swaraj Party was officially inaugurated at Gaya. Subhas became a leader of youth. He formed the "All Bengal Youth'League " with himself as President. The Swaraj party greatly con- solidated its position in 1923. The success of the Swaraj Party throughout the country worried the government. It feared an upsurge of revolutionary activities. On October 25, 1924 a large number of Congressmen were arrested under a new emergency ordinance called the Bengal ordinance signed by the Viceroy the previous night. Among those arrested was Subhas. He was accused of complicity in a revolutionary conspiracy. On January 25,1925 he was shifted to Mandalay jail in upper Burma. On June 16, 1925 C.R. Das died. On May 16,1927 he was released in view of his health after detention without trial for two years, six months and 21 days. On January 9, Bose presided over a meet- ing at Hazra Park in Calcutta to explain to the people the significance of the Independence Day. As the President of the trade union con- gress, he specially appealed to workers to observe the day, for without independence, the economic exploitation would never end. On September 25, B ose was elected mayor of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation. In De- cember 1930 he started the Bengal Swadeshi League for co-ordination of the activities of industrialists, businessmen and social work- ers. Bose arrived in Vienna on March 8,1933. He stayed in Europe for the next four years. He visted many countries to win sympathizers for the Indian freedom movement. During his stay in Europe he visited practically

angry students decided to take the law in their own hands and gave a sound thrashing to the professor. This incident aroused the ire of the authorities. The Government summarily closed the Presidency College and appointed a commission of enquiry. Subhas and his group of students were suspected to be behind the act. Subhas was thereafter rusticated from the university. Subhas immersed himself in social works. He joined a band of students nursing cholera and smallpox patients in Cuttack. After a year he went back to Calcutta and was allowed to join the Scottish Church College. He passed his B.A. examination in 1919 with first class honours in philosophy and was placed, sec- ond in the order of merit. It was then that his father decided to send him to England to study for the Indian Civil Service. On September 15, 1919 he set sail from Bombay. He succeeded in getting admission to Fitzwilliam House at Cambridge. In July 1920, 8 months after his arrival in Cam- bridge, he appeared for the civil services examination. He came through the exami- nation with flying colours being placed fourth in the order of merit. Spurning a life of opulence and high status which the civil service would confer on him and aspiring to dedicate his life for the service of his moth- erland, Subhas summarily resigned from the service in 1921. In June 1921 he left for India. Reaching Bombay, he met Gandhi who had become the leader of the Indian National Congress. Dissatisfied with Gandhi, he went to Calcutta and came in contact with C.R. Das. Bose was also placed in charge of the Pub- licity Board of the Bengal Provincial Con- gress Committee and made head of the National Volunteer Corps. “Bose was a young man in a hurry, and failed to see the wisdom of the old leader's patience and perserverance in efforts to con- quer his opponents by love. British imperial- ism (he felt) understood only brute strength and not soul force. While participating wholeheartedly in Gandhi's non-cooperation

Subhas Chandra Bose

Born at Cuttack (in modern Orissa) on 23rd January 1897, the 9th child of Janaki Nath and Prabhavati Bose. His father was a lawyer . From 1902-08 Subhas studied in a missionary school at Cuttack run by the Bap- tist Mission. From 1908-13 he studied at the Ravenshaw Collegiate School. His headmas- ter Beni Madhav Das made a tremendous im- pression on Subhas. He instilled in Subhas an awareness of moral values and social respon- sibilities. During this period he was attracted towards spiritual life. He came across the works of Swami Vivekananda. Subhas was not unmindful of the duty to one's motherland. In a letter to his mother he wrote: "India is God's beloved land. He has been bom in this great land in every age in the form of the saviour for the enlightenment of the people, to rid this earth of sin and to establish righteousness in every Indian heart. He has come into being in many centuries in human form, but not so many times in any other country . That is why I say, India our motherland, is God's beloved land." In 1913 he joined the Presidency College, Calcutta. It was then regarded as the premier college of the Calcutta University with emi- nent professors like Sir J.C. Bose and P.C. Ray on its staff. He visited Rishikesh, Harid- war, Banaras, Mathura and Gaya. Subhash passed the intermediate examination in the first division. For his B. A. he took the honours course in philosophy. During this period, an incident involving a professor of the college, E.F. Oaten had a far-reaching effect on his life. Prof. Oaten, like other Englishmen, began to treat his Indian students with disdain and contempt. One day for no apparent reason he man- handled a student of the first year class. The