Subash Chandra Bose

Subash Chandra Bose’s Triumph and Tragic End

Dharmarajan Gana – I .N.A Tokyo Cadet

Birth of the Indian National Army Of all the revolutionaries who fought for India’s Freedom from British rule during the 20th century, Subash Chandra Bose, ranks next to Mahatma Gandhi.Subash Bose left Calcutta on his perilous journey to achieve India’s Independence in January 1941,via Kabul, Moscow and Berlin. During the major part of World War II, he was in Germany and worked with the Indians in the region for the liberation of India form British domination. When Japan entered the World war in December 1941,the heat of the war enveloped the Asians skies and finally the japans imperial Army occupied practically the whole of East Asia with 3 months of its commencement. The British Army, comprising mostly of Indian Army personnel, surrendered to the Japanese in Singapore on February 15, 1942.the Indian Independence movement in East Asia availed of this opportunity and mobilized the officers and men who were taken prisoners –of- war by the Japanese from the British and formed the Indian National Army.

Subash Bose and his leadership On July 2 nd 1943 Subash Chandra Bose, a great Indian and the Greatest revolutionary of our times, arrived in Singapore from German via Japan, and assumed complete change of the Indian National Army on July 4th 1943. Subash Bose addressed the Indian community in Singapore and said that his mission in life was to liberate India form British yoke and to free its 2300,000,000 people from its tyranny. I, Toto, a boy of 15 was present on this historic day at the grounds of the Singapore Municipality. I could not comprehend al what he said then-but I do now. On July 6th, 1943 the Japanese Premier, Hideki Tojo, reviewed the INAmarch past along with Subash Bose on the same grounds in Singapore, an event that was rare in diplomatic parlance, as India was still a subject-nation ruled by the British.

Soon after this,Subash Bose was given the esteemed name of “Netaji greeted the People of East Asia with the divine words “Jai Hind” Subsequently, he opted for tagore’s “Jana Gana Mana’ in place of Vande-Mataram’ as the National Anthem of Free India. He coined the battle cry of the INAas ‘Chalo Delhi’. The provisional Government of Azad Hind was proclaimed on 21 st October 1943, and on the following day, the Rani of Jhansi Regiment was formed to instill discipline, courage and self-respect in the hearts of Indian women who deprived of those traits under foreign rule. Then Subash Bose, (Netaji), moved with great speed to carry out his mission. He attended the Greater East Asia Conference held in Tokyo where premier Tojo of Japan announced that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands captured by them during the war from the British will be handed over to the Provisional govt. of Azad Hind forthwith, i.e. 6th November, 1943. Soon after the proclamation of the Provisional Government of Azad Hind, and advertisement in the local newspapers appeared inviting applications from Indian youth between the ages of 15 to 18 years for undergoing military training in the renowned Imperial Military Academy of Japan. Hundreds of applicants form throught East Asia appeared for the interview before the selection Board in Singapore and it was Netaji subash Chandra Bose himself who finally selected 45 candidates to undergo training at the Academy. I was indeed fortunate to have been selected by a man of his stature after fifteen-minute interview for two successive days. While undergoing training in the Military Academy in Japan, Netaji, in one of his moving letters to us wrote, “I have no son of my own, but you are to me more than my own son, because, you have dedicated your life to the Cause-the Freedom of Bharat-Mata”

INA’s Military Missions The officers and men of the INA fought on the battlefields of Arakan, Kaladan, Imphal and Kohima and unfurled the tricolor on Indian soil for the first time in India’s history on the 18th of March 1944, India’s freedom, which all along had been a dream for Netaji, had become a reality. This momentous new was broadcast to India and thaw World by Netaji on March 21, 1944, an outstanding feat which he accomplished within 9 months of assuming charge of the INAFew mortals could have done it placed in similar circumstances.

Then the tide turned. The rains came and with it, the British spearheaded their thrust in Central Burma to capture Rangoon. Due to the rains, the lines of communications in the Burma-India border were cut off and the INA found it difficult to offer resistance. The historic retreat began and Netaji left Rangoon for Bangkok. Later, Netaji visited Tokyo during October 1944 for consultations with the Japanese government about the war situation at the time due to the American offensive in the Pacific Ocean. No tangible solutions could be reached. Even during this crisis, Netaji found time to visit us in the Military Academy and talked to each one of us separately in our rooms for a couple of minutes. While talking to me, he asked me whether .I had any problems that I wished to convey to him. When I told him that I have had no letters form my parents in Singapore since arriving in Japan, he was taken aback. He asked me to write another letter to them, which he would take with him to Singapore within the next 2 or 3 days. He added that he would see to it that the letter was delivered to them, wherever they were and that I would receive a reply by special mail, Netaji was indeed such a great humanitarian.

The INA’s retreat from Rangoon began on 24th April, 1945 and Netaji with his cabinet members went to Bangkok, then to Singapore and eventually camped temporarily in Seramban in Malaysia on the 25th July, 1945.It was here, that all his final decisions were made about the future of the INA.the welfare of personnel from the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, the fate of civilians from East Asia who had joined the Provisional Government of Azad Hindu and Finally about the plight that the Imperial Military Academy cadets will face after Japan’s defeat were carefully considered by Netaji.

At 12 noon on the 15th August, 1945 Japan officially announced the news of its surrender to the American Armed forces after the atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagaasaki on the 6th and the 8th of Aug, 1945 when the news was conveyed to Netaji, he first broke into a smile, and his first words were, ”that is that. Now what is next?” that night, the Cabinet decided that Netaji must leave Singapore, but to where remains a mystery to Japan, Manchukuo or Russia? There was no meaning in Netaji being taken prisoner by British in Singapore and then eliminated on foreign soil. When Netaji was asked about his plans, he shot back, “adventure into the unknown” Netaji’s Sad Demise

He left Singapore on 16th August 1945 and went to Saigon. After a short stay there, Netaji left for taihoku and arrived there at 2.00pm on August 18, 1945.After a stay of just 35 minutes at the airport, the plane left at 2.35 pm. No one knows for sure where it was headed. It was a Japanese bomber carrying 13 passengers (while its capacity was 2 or 3)< crashed at 2.38 pomp, three minutes after being air-borne (perhaps due to the extra weight) at the far end of the Taihoku Airport Netaji was admitted to the hospital at 3.pm with severe burns to his body and his end came that night at 9.pm. at Taihoku. Col. Habibur Rahman was the only Indian survivor among the passengers of the ill-fated Japanese bomber. Netaji’s last worlds to Col. Habib and to his country that he loved were, “habib, my end is coming very soon. I have fought all my life for my country’s freedom. I am dying for my country’s freedom. India will be free, and before long.” Netaji was given a funeral service with full military honors at taihoku and his ashes were put in an urn on August 20, 1945.Netaji’s ashes were bought were bought to Tokyo by the first available plane from Taihoku on September 6, 1945 and kept in Mr.Rama Murthi’s house, which was the Office of the Indian Independence League in Tokyo where we, the Tokyo cadets kept vigil over the ashes for 3 days. On September 14, 1945 the Ashes of Netaji were secretly conveyed to the Renkoji temple in the Suginami District of Tokyo After a solemn ceremony of about an hour, in the presence of Japanese foreign office representatives, members of the Japanese War Office, the Minister from the Azad Hind Government and other notable Indians in Tokyo and Tokyo Cadets, the urn was placed at the alter.

Netaji’s ashes are still there and the Buddhist priest at the temple offers prayers every day Sadly, however, Netaji’s remains have no found a permanent resting- place yet.

Mr.Dharmarajan Gana was born on the March 7th 1928.Mr gana’s early schooling was done in Singapore during World War II. Mr. Gana was later selected by Subash Chandra Bose to join the Indian National Army. He was trained in the Imperial Military Academy. Tokyo, Japan. After India’s Independence, Mr.Gana settled in India and worked for several years at the Japanese Consulate in Calcutta.