Subash Chandra Bose - A Tribute---byDh armarajan Gana (I .N.A Cadet)
BangaLakshmi
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.