Subhas Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – disputed 18 August 1945) was an Indian nationalist whose defiant patriotism made him a hero in India, but whose attempt during World War II to rid India of British rule with the help of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan left a troubled legacy. The honorific Netaji (Hindustani: “Respected Leader”) was first applied to Bose in Germany in early 1942 by the Indian soldiers of the Indische Legion and by the German and Indian officials in the Special Bureau for India in Berlin. It is now used throughout India.
Bose was a charismatic leader who served as the President of the Indian National Congress in 1938 and 1939. After falling out with Mahatma Gandhi and the Congress high command over tactical differences regarding the independence struggle, he was ousted from leadership and subsequently placed under house arrest by the British. He made a daring escape from India in 1941, travelling through Afghanistan and the Soviet Union to reach Germany, and later Imperial Japan, to organize armed resistance against British rule.
Early Life and Academic Brilliance
Bose was born in Cuttack, Bengal Province, to Janakinath Bose, an advocate, and Prabhavati Devi. He was the ninth of fourteen children.
He was an exceptionally brilliant student, studying at the Protestant European School in Cuttack, Ravenshaw Collegiate School, and later at Presidency College, Calcutta. He was deeply influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Paramahansa, which shaped his spiritual nationalism.
In 1919, at his father’s request, Bose went to England to prepare for the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination. He placed fourth in the highly competitive exam. However, refusing to serve the British colonial government, he resigned from the civil service in 1921 and returned to India to join the nationalist movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.
Political Career and Congress Leadership
Upon returning to India, Bose worked under Chittaranjan Das, a prominent Bengali nationalist leader. He quickly rose in the ranks of the Indian National Congress, advocating for total and immediate independence (Purna Swaraj) rather than the dominion status favored by older leaders.
Bose was elected President of the Congress at the Haripura Session in 1938, where he advocated for industrial planning and a socialist economic model for free India. He was re-elected in 1939 at the Tripuri Session, defeating Gandhi’s preferred candidate, Pattabhi Sitaramayya. However, due to severe ideological clashes and lack of cooperation from Gandhi’s supporters, Bose resigned from the presidency and formed the All India Forward Bloc, a faction within the Congress aimed at consolidating left-wing forces.
The Indian National Army (INA) and World War II
Following the outbreak of World War II, Bose launched mass protests against British attempts to commit Indian resources without consulting Indian leaders. He was imprisoned but released under house arrest following a hunger strike.
In January 1941, Bose executed a legendary escape from his Jorisanko residence in Calcutta, disguised as a Pathan insurance agent named Ziauddin. He travelled across northern India, through Kabul, to Moscow with an Italian passport, and finally reached Berlin.
In 1943, realizing that Germany could not provide direct military aid to India, Bose travelled in a German submarine around the Cape of Good Hope to board a Japanese submarine, reaching East Asia.
In Singapore, with Japanese support, he took leadership of the Indian National Army (INA) or Azad Hind Fauj, which was composed of Indian prisoners-of-war captured by Japan in Malaya. He also proclaimed the establishment of the Provisional Government of Azad Hind (Free India) in October 1943.
Under Bose’s leadership, the INA marched towards the Indian border, capturing parts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (which Bose renamed Shaheed and Swaraj Islands), and entering northeastern India, laying siege to Imphal and Kohima alongside Japanese forces. However, due to logistics failures, monsoons, and the shifting tide of the war, the campaign failed, and the INA was forced to retreat.
Disputed Death and Legacy
Netaji is commonly reported to have died on 18 August 1945 from third-degree burns suffered in a plane crash in Taihoku (Taipei), Japanese Taiwan, while attempting to fly to the Soviet Union. However, many of his supporters in India refused to believe the news of his death, leading to numerous conspiracy theories and official government inquiry commissions (such as the Shah Nawaz Committee, Khosla Commission, and Mukherjee Commission).
Regardless of the controversies surrounding his final days, Netaji remains one of India’s most revered national heroes. His slogan “Jai Hind” became the official greeting of the Indian Republic, and his birthday, 23 January, is celebrated annually as Parakram Diwas (Day of Valour).