Gandhiji Mohandas Karamchand and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose were those two warriors fighting for the freedom of our motherland Bharat in the first half of 20th Century. Both were titans in their own approach towards a common goal. One was from the western coast and the other was from Eastern India. Gandhi the man from Gujarat followed the path of non-violence and succeeded in driving away the British from India in his style although his main goal of keeping together the whole of India under one roof remained a dream. S.C.Bose on the other hand followed the path of aggression and war with the colonizers to achieve freedom for the nation. He even got elected once as the President of Indian National Congress but was not supported by Gandhiji. He therefore changed his approach and course of action.
During the World War II the British government sought the help of its colonies including India to support it. When it found Netaji collecting the Indians against the British, it put him behind the bars in July 1940. He wanted to take advantage of the initial set back suffered by the British and take the help of anti-British forces to secure India’s independence. He succeeded in escaping from house arrest in disguise on January 15, 1941. From Calcutta he travelled in train up to Peshawar and crossed over to Afghanistan. Although he wanted to go to Italy through Russia, he got an invitation from Hitler. Hence his journey to Berlin, the capital of Germany and a meeting with Hitler who promised to help India for her freedom from the British. Netaji believed that India would get freedom this way but it didn’t materialize as we all know. He reached Tokyo by a submarine. He took the leadership of the Indian National Army started by Rash Bihari Bose and announced the formation of an independent government at Singapore on October 21, 1943 in a conference. He also hoisted the national flag as the head of the government on December 29, 1943. This government of Netaji was supported by nine countries including Japan, Italy, Germany and China. He waged a war against the British from the borders of Burma. When the war was going on, the nature too turned hostile in the form of South-West monsoon towards his forces and hundreds of soldiers died in heavy rains, thunder, lightening, floods causing the disruption of communication links and followed by epidemics like cholera and diarrhea.
At this juncture Netaji was told about the reverses encountered by Axis powers and he therefore made a plan to escape from Singapore to Saigon through Bangkok along with his friend Col. Haphifur Rehman in a Japanese plane. The plane reportedly met with an accident and collapsed when it was flying over the Formosa islands. The Japanese radio announced on August 15 about his death in a crash. The common people in India refused to believe this story and many governments in Independent India (under the prime minster ships of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and A.B.Vajpayee) constituted committees to probe this incident and tell the truth. All the three committees confirmed his death in the air crash and reported that his mortal remains were being preserved in Rengoji temple in Tokyo although some people still believe that he lived in the name of saint Bhagwanji in Uttar Pradesh till 1985.
The mysterious death of Netaji never fails to enthuse the Indians in exhibiting their respect and gratitude towards this national Hero.
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