'Jodi tor daak shune keu na aashe tobe ekla cholo re...'

This is part of a song written by Rabindranath Tagore to motivate the people of pre-independent India to join the freedom struggle. It roughly translates to 'if no one else responds your call, then walk alone')

The second World War also saw the rise (and fall) of a small but nationally (to Indians) renowned army called the Indian National Army or INA under the auspices of the revolutionary, Subhash Chandra Bose. Bose, who was in conflict with Gandhi regarding using only non-violent tactics to secure freedom from the British in India, worked under the maxim that 'an enemy's enemy is a friend' and sought help from Germany, Russia and Japan to reclaim Indian independence through military force.

Though most Westerners have not heard of many freedom fighters other than Mahatma Gandhi, it can be argued that the influence of Subhash Bose, or Netaji (leader), as he was popularly known as, was as powerful as that of the Mahatma. He was the leader of the Indian National Congress twice, the second time defeating Gandhi's nominee, and it was he who first advocated Poorna Swaraj or complete freedom from British rule, as opposed to a Dominion status, that others wanted.

The British imprisoned him repeatedly for his open anti-Empire stance. Because of his popularity, when he fell sick in prison at one point, the British took him out of jail and placed him under house arrest, scared of the back-lash that would ensue had he died in jail. It was finally the martyrdom of Bhagat Singh and the inability of the Indian Congress leaders to stop his hanging that infuriated Netaji and completed his parting of ways with Gandhi.

When World War II broke out, Bose warned the Indian people and the British against dragging the Indian people into the war; it did not make any sense to him that India, already being bled dry by its rulers, should suffer further monetary and human losses for the sake of the British. His prediction became true when India was declared a warring nation by the British without any consultation with Indian Congress leaders. It was at this point that Bose escaped house arrest and went to Germany and Japan to start an all Indian army to fight the British.

Netaji made sure that except for monetary support, his army was free of Japanese or German interference, with all the men being Indians from Singapore and other eastern regions. His oratorical skills were legendary; "Give me your blood and I will give you freedom" was his battle cry and thousands of Indians responded with fervour. It was to this Indian National Army that my thakurda (paternal grandfather) volunteered his services as a doctor. It was also to this army that my father's eldest brother (my boro jetha) joined in their youth force (Balak sena). My aunt (pishi) joined the Rani of Jhansi regiment as a nurse cadet.

The INA did have initial successes, such as liberating the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from British rule, and marching through Burma to the Indian border. It was after the surrender of Japan that things started going downhill. At this point, Netaji decided to go to Tokyo for his next plan of action. Unfortunately, the plane he traveled in crashed near Taipei. His bodyguard Satya Sahai, who was a close friend of the family, confirmed to my thakurda that he had indeed died. However, such was Netaji's charisma that the Indian public refused for a long time to believe that this was so.

My boro jetha was 15 when the Balak Sena was sent by ship to Japan for training. He was on the first of two ships when they were attacked by British submarines. The second ship was torpedoed. One soldier died; he had gone down to his locker to retrieve a photograph of Netaji.

My boro jetha along with the entire regiment was transported to China and imprisoned there as a POW for 6 months before being brought to India to face military trials and probable hanging. Public outcry and open mutiny in the British Indian Army forced the British to reconsider their decision and a general amnesty for all soldiers of the INA was declared. It is thought that this series of events hastened the demise of British rule in India at its twilight hour.

Hence, my boro jetha who landed in Madras (present day Chennai) was dumped immediately into a train bound for Calcutta (his ancestral hometown which he had never seen). Luckily, his photograph along with the others was front page news and my father's relatives in Calcutta were able to recognize him and pick him up from the railway station with all the ceremony due to a war hero.

My father's family joined him later and boro jetha then joined St Lawrence School and lived a normal teenage boy's life till he joined the Indian army. Initially, his role in the Balak Sena was not accounted for as the INA was not recognized in pre-independent India. However, later on, he was given the samman patra, honouring him as a freedom fighter. He died a Brigadier from a heart attack at the young age of 45 while stationed in Sikkim amongst his beloved army jawans (cadets).


(thanks to Kamat's potpourri website from which I obtained major inputs)