Subhas Chandra Bose

Though disregarded by the members of the Forward Bloc, Bose was said to have tied the knot with the daughter of an Austrian veterinarian, Emilie Schenkl in the year 1937. The couple was blessed with a daughter named Anita Bose Pfaff in the year 1942.

On board a plane en-route to Russia on August 18, 1945, Netaji met with an unfortunate accident, which led to his death. The Japanese Army Air Force Mitsubishi Ki-21 bomber, which he was traveling on, experienced engine trouble, and crashed at Taipei, Taiwan.

Bose who suffered from major injuries was badly burnt. Though he was taken to the nearest hospital, he could not make it and left for the heavenly abode in a four hours’ time.

Ninth of the fourteen children of Janakinath Bose and Prabhavati Devi, Subhas Chandra Bose was born in Cuttack, then coming under Bengal Presidency.

A brilliant student since childhood, Bose excelled at his studies attaining an overall second position in the matriculation examination. He enrolled at the Presidency College in 1911 but was sacked out from the same for assaulting Professor Oaten for the latter's anti-India comments.

Bose, then, completed his graduation from Scottish Church College at the University of Calcutta, attaining a BA in philosophy in 1918. Following year, he gained admission at the Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge to appear in the Indian Civil Services Examination (ICS).

Following his father’s wish, Bose did crack the examination with a fourth rank and secured a job with the civil service department but could not continue with the same for long. For Bose, continuing the work would be working under an alien government and serving the British, which he morally did not approve of.

Bose forego the hard-earned, lucrative job and came back to India, where he joined the Indian National Congress to contribute in the Independence struggle. For the same, the first step was starting the newspaper, ‘Swaraj’. Additionally, he even took charge of publicity for the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee.

Coming out of the prison in 1927, Bose began his political career on a full-fledged note. He secured the position of the general secretary of the Congress party and started working alongside Jawaharlal Nehru in the struggle for independence.

Three years later, Bose rose to become the Mayor of Calcutta. In the mid-1930s, he travelled extensively in Europe, visiting Indian students and European politicians, including Benito Mussolini.

Over the years, Bose had gained so much of popularity that he became a leader of national stature. Also, the popularity and admiration won him a nomination as a Congress President.

Bose’s nomination, however, did not go well with Mahatma Gandhi, who opposed Bose’s run for Presidency as the latter believed in attaining complete Swaraj, even if it meant using force against the British.

Clash of opinions caused a split in the Indian National Congress, with Bose forming his own cabinet. In the 1939 Congress President elections Bose defeated Pattabhi Sitaramayya (Gandhiji’s chosen candidate), but could not continue his Presidency for long as his belief system was stark opposite to those in the Congress Working Committee.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was posthumously honoured with a Bharat ratna award, India’s highest civilian award. However, the same was later withdrawn, following a PIL which was filed in the court against the ‘posthumous’ nature of the award.

A statue of him has been erected in front of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, while his photo prominently dawns in one of the walls of the Indian Parliament.

In the recent times, he has been depicted in popular cultures. While he has been a spoof of thought for various writers who have penned numerous books on him, there are various films that portray this Indian nationalism hero.