23/01/2022
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, considered to be one of the greatest leaders ever born, continues to be a symbol of assertive nationalism.
A meritorious student, he studied at Presidency College, Calcutta , from which he was expelled in 1916 for nationalist activities.He later joined the University of Cambridge in England to prepare for the Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination. He ranked fourth in the ICS examination, but on hearing about the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre he quit his well paying job abroad and returned to India in 1921 to join India's struggle for independence.
He was imprisoned 11 times during the period from 1921 to 1941. He had assumed the post of mayor of Calcutta in 1930, while he was still in prison. Netaji worked as the editor for the newspaper named Forward, owned by his mentor Chittaranjan Das, a powerful Bengal politician. Later, Netaji started his own newspaper, Swaraj, and also published a book - The Indian Struggle in 1942.
The Indian National Army, first formed in 1942 majorly by Indian Prisoners of War of the British-Indian Army, was handed over to Subhas Chandra Bose where it was revived under his leadership after his arrival in Southeast Asia in 1943. The INA played a monumental role in India’s struggle for freedom and its eventual independence in 1947.
The government has declared Netaji’s birthday, the 23rd of January, to be celebrated as ‘Parakram Diwas’ every year to inspire people of this country, especially the youth, “to act with fortitude in the face of adversity as Netaji did, and to infuse in them a spirit of patriotic favor.”
Poster : Ayushi Raj
Article : Priya Agarwal