The recently released Tamil movie Indian 2: Zero Tolerance once again ignited the mojo of the Indian National Army and its charismatic leader Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the popular imagination. Kamal Haasan reprised his role as Senapathy, an aging INA veteran and a die-hard Netaji fan who turns into a vigilante to fight against the social malady of corruption. But the missing point in the movie is that individual vigilantism is not the essence of the INA and Netaji. The true INA spirit is an admixture of collective heroism, patriotism, political optimism, self-sacrifice, communal amity and gender equality.
The INA saga is a unique and unparalleled episode not only in India's history but in world history as well. Netaji and his INA resemble the Greek legend of dare-devilish Phaethon who braved to run the Sun Chariot to prove his divine paternity.
MC Setalvad, India's foremost jurist, commented on the Indian National Army and its historic Red Fort trial: "To the ordinary citizen it was the fascinating and inspiring story of a heroic effort, the most famous in Indian history -- of a great Indian patriot, supported by thousands of his countrymen, to liberate their country."
King or the country?
The INA Samurais were exceptionally idealistic and committed to their inspiring core principles.
During the INA trials, Captain Shah Nawaz Khan stated: "The question before me was the King or the country. I decided to be loyal to my country and gave my word of honour to Netaji that I would sacrifice myself for her sake."
Subhas Chandra Bose infused highly needed optimism during the darkest hours of the nation. Exactly two years before the Independence, on August 15, 1945, he said: "Never falter in your faith in India's destiny. There is no power on earth that can keep India enslaved. India shall be free and before long."
Even his last words were highly inspiring and sanguine: "I feel that I shall die soon. I have fought for India's freedom until the last. Tell my countrymen "India will be free before long". Long live Free India!"
Netaji never compromised India's independence despite Japan's military support to the INA. He got an assurance from Prime Minister General Hideki Tojo that Japan was firmly resolved to extend all means to expel and eliminate from India the Anglo-Saxon influence which was the enemy of Indian people, and enable India to achieve full independence in the true sense of the term.
Netaji declared that “Any liberation of India secured through Japanese sacrifices is worse than slavery” (quoted by Shah Nawaz Khan in his My Memories of the INA and its Netaji). Subhas Chandra Bose declared the Provisional Government of Azad Hind on 21 October 1943 styling himself 'Head of the State, Prime Minister and Minister for War and Foreign Affairs'.
Henceforth, the INA became a state army. Netaji's oath as the Head of Azad Hind Government concluded with these words: "Even after freedom, I will always be prepared to shed even the last drop of my blood for the preservation of India's freedom."
United in a divided India
Rash Behari Bose, Netaji's John the Baptist, sent epistles to the Indian patriarchs in 1943 seeking their blessings for the nascent INA.
In his letter to Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Rash Behari wrote: "At present, as the President of the Muslim League, you are looked up to, at home and abroad, as the leader of the vast masses of Indian Muslims. Alas, I am reluctant to consider you as the sole leader of only a section, however big and important it may be. In my eyes, you are the same old Jinnah of years ago, who thought, spoke, and moved as one of the leaders of the entire Indian nation...India can never be India for Indians unless her sons, Hindus and Muslims, begin to identify service to the nation with service to their respective Gods...On behalf of the Indians living in East Asia, I assure you that we are all awaiting your emergence once again as a National Leader."
This letter highlights the INA leader's optimistic quest for a secular and inclusive India where the leaders would rise above parochial communal politics, even though the country was then entangled in a communal division and a strife-ridden milieu.
Subhas Chandra Bose and the INA always stood for an inclusive, plural, and secular India. This catholicity was palpable in the selection of the National Anthem of the Azad Hind Government. Shubh Sukh Chain, a Hindustani song based on Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali poem Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata, was the national anthem of the Azad Hind Government. Vande Mataram was sung at the proclamation of the Azad Hind Government in Singapore in October 1943.
However conceding the Muslim feelings against Vande Mataram, Netaji opted for the Hindustani version of Tagore's poem as the National Anthem. The translation, Shubh Sukh Chain, was written by Mumtaz Hussein and Captain Abid Hasan Safrani, and its score composed by Captain Ram Singh Thakur. It took Vande Mataram's place as the official national anthem of the Azad Hind Government and was sung at all meetings, including at the final assembly before Bose's departure.
The role played by women in the INA saga was also remarkable. The Rani of Jhansi Regiment was raised on 12 July 1943 exclusively for the women combatants. Led by Captain Lakshmi Swaminathan, cadets of the Regiment underwent military and combat training with drills, route marches as well as weapons training in rifles, hand grenades, and bayonet charges.
Some 200 of the cadets were also chosen for nursing training, forming the Chand Bibi Nursing Corps. Besides Captain Lakshmi and Janaky Athi Nahappan, Lieutenant Bharati 'Asha' Sahay was an inspiring Amazon of the INA. Asha-san was the daughter of Netaji’s trusted lieutenant Anand Mohan Sahay. At the tender age of 17, she travelled from Japan via Taiwan to Thailand to join the Rani of Jhansi Regiment. Her War Diary is a deeply moving first-hand account of the patriotism and heroism of the INA.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in his electrifying October 21, 1943 speech underlined the values of heroism and self-sacrifice for the nation's emancipation: "In the name of God, in the name of bygone generations who have welded the Indian people into one nation, and in the name of the dead heroes who have bequeathed us a tradition of heroism and self-sacrifice, we call upon the Indian people to rally around our banner and strike for India’s freedom."
The unwavering idealism, patriotism, and heroism of the INA warriors have gained greater relevance in today's dystopic India. Today's Indian republic, marred by self-seeking, corruption and parochialism, must rally around the sacrosanct and eternal INA spirit for the nation’s emancipation again.
(Faisal C.K. is Deputy Law Secretary to the Government of Kerala. Views are personal. Email: faisal.chelengara10@gmail.com)
