Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti 2023: All You Need to Know

Subhas Chandra Bose. File Photo

A name that appears with a whole lot of Indian nationalist sentiments, a ‘soldier' who was committed to bring freedom for India that was reeling under British regime; Subhas Chandra Bose - popularly known as Netaji - is one of the most discussed and scrutinized personalities connected to India's freedom struggle.

Bose was born on 23 January 1897. On this January 23, it will be Subhas Chandra Bose's 126th birth anniversary - also known as Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti. His birth anniversary is marked as ‘Parakram Diwas' - exactly translated as ‘Courage day'.

Born into a privileged Bengali family in Orissa, Bose was an early recipient of Anglocentric education. Bose became a part of the freedom movement led by Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress. He was on good terms with Jawaharlal Nehru; also braced the socialist ideas.

In 1938, Bose became the Congress president 1938. However after the reelection in 1939, there were evident differences seen between him and other Congress leaders. This was for two reasons: Different stands on "future federation of British India and princely states" the discomfort that grew "among the Congress leadership over Bose's negotiable attitude to non-violence". Bose eventually resigned from the position and was ousted from the Congress party.

In 1941, as Bose arrived in Hitler-led Germany, where the leadership "offered unexpected but equivocal sympathy for India's independence". He also met Adolf Hitler in May in 1942 who offered to arrange a submarine for him. During his stay in Germany, German authority's funds were used to open a Free India Centre in Berlin.

Also read: RSS ideology and Netaji's ideals poles apart, don't coincide: Anita Bose

Later on, Bose reached Japan, and revamped the Indian National Army that included prisoners of war of the Indian Army who were captured by the Japanese forces during the battle of Singapore. Bose presided over the Provisional Government of Free India that was declared on the Japanese-occupied Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The Indian Army reversed the Japanese attack on India during the late 1944 and early 1945. Nearly half the Japanese forces and the INA forces were killed and the remaining INA forces were " driven down the Malay Peninsula and surrendered with the recapture of Singapore". Amid this perplexing situation, Bose chose to escape to Manchuri looking at a future in the Soviet Union. Bose allegedly died when the plane he boarded crashed in Japanese Taiwan on August 18, 1945. However, there are different versions of Bose's death that sparked controversy from time to time.

India celebrates Subhas Chandra Bose as a hero, ‘Parakram Diwas' is dedicated to Bose's what many define as his ‘courage'. This day gets a major space in educational institutions and other socio-political organizations that celebrate Bose for his "courage" and "heroic" instances.

However, there are certain criticisms that have always surrounded Bose's stances as many question his visit to Germany - denoting the label of "Fascism" and "Nazism" connected to the country.