On October 21, the anniversary of the formation of Azad Hind Government is celebrated annually across the country. The day is celebrated to commemorate India¡¯s first independent provisional government named Azad Hind Government.
This government was the brainchild of Mohan Singh. Later Rash Behari Bose, an Indian revolutionary, developed on the idea and formed Azad Hind Fauj or the Indian National Army (INA) in 1942 which was revived by Subhas Chandra Bose on 21 October, 1943.
The timing of the formation of INA was crucial since it came around World War II to secure complete Indian independence from British rule. The government was recognised by many countries including Japan, Croatia, Indonesia, Germany, Italy, and Burma along with a few others.?
Bose's army clashed with the British forces around Imphal and Kohima in 1944. This conflict has been adjudged as the 'greatest ever battle involving British forces' in a contest run by the National Army Museum in London.?
However, apart from actively spearheading the INA and giving a clarion call of independence with his famous ¡®Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom!¡¯ Subhash Chandra Bose had so many other things to his credit.?
He was born on January 23, 1897 in Cuttack, then a part of Bengal Province¡¯s Orissa Division. After finishing his school education, he briefly studied at the Presidency College. He was influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna after reading their works at the age of 16.?
Later, he was sent by his parents to the University of Cambridge in England to prepare for the Indian Civil Services examination. Although he cleared the exam in 1920 but just a year later he heard the news of nationalist turmoil in India, he resigned his candidacy and hurried back to India.?
Coming back to India, he joined the Independence movement and in 1938 was elected as president of the Indian National Congress and formed a national planning committee, which formulated a policy of broad industrialisation.?
However, belonging to a radical group of ideological factions of the Congress party, he always had major differences with leading figures like Mahatma Gandhi, his methods of non-violence, and Jawahar Lal Nehru.
Hence, his policy of industrialization did not harmonize with Gandhian economic thought, which clung to the notion of cottage industries and benefiting from the use of the country¡¯s own resources. Bose¡¯s vindication came in 1939 when he defeated a Gandhian rival for re-election. Nonetheless, the ¡°rebel president¡± felt bound to resign because of the lack of Gandhi¡¯s support.?
But it was also during the Non- Cooperation movement when he was advised by Mahatma Gandhi to work with Chittaranjan Das who became his political guru who helped him become a youth educator and commandant of the Bengal Congress volunteers.?
Bose also felt the journalistic responsibility to aware and organise the people. For this, he started the newspaper 'Swaraj' which stood for freedom.?
After quitting the Indian National Congress, Bose formed an All India Forward Bloc, a left-wing nationalist political party in India which emerged as a faction within the India Congress in 1939, led by Subhas Chandra Bose. He was well known for his leftist views in Congress.?
The Forward Bloc was aimed at bringing together all radical elements of the Congress party in order to spread the meaning and cause of complete independence of India with adherence to the application of principles of equality and social justice.