Chapter One

A Dreamer

They call me a dreamer. I confess I am a dreamer. I have always been a dreamer-even when I was a child. The progress of the world has depended on dreamers and their dreams-not dreams of exploitation and aggrandisement and perpetuating injustice, but dreams of progress, happiness for the widest masses, liberty and independence for all nations.

I have been a dreamer of dreams. But the dream of all my dreams, the dearest dream of my life, has been the dream of freedom for India.

They think it is a discredit to be a dreamer. I take pride in being one. They do not like my dreams. But that is nothing new.

If I did not dream dreams of India's freedom, I would have accepted the chains of slavery as something eternal.

The real crux of the question is, can my dreams become realities? I submit they have increasingly become realities. The army is one such dream come true.

No, I do not mind being a dreamer.

Subhas Chandra Bose

27 September 1944

On 4 July 1943 In Singapore, ...

On 4 July 1943 in Singapore, Netaji became the President of the Indian Independence League. His powerful oratory and life-illumining vision captivated the entire audience:

"Comrades! You have voluntarily accepted a mission that is the noblest that the human mind can conceive of. For the fulfilment of such a mission no sacrifice is too great, not even the sacrifice of one's life. You are today the custodians of India's national honour and the embodiment of India's hopes and aspirations."

Three and a half months later, on 21 October 1943, Netaji first announced the formation of the Provisional Government of Free India:

"In the name of God, in the name of by-gone generations who have welded the Indian people into one nation and in the name of the dead heroes who have bequeathed to us a tradition of heroism and self-sacrifice, we call upon the Indian people to rally around our banner and to strike for India's freedom."

On 5 July 1943 In Singapore, ...

On 5 July 1943 in Singapore, Netaji announced to the world the existence of the Indian National Army. He voiced forth:

"I have said that today is the proudest day of my life. For an enslaved people, there can be no greater pride, no higher honour, than to be the first soldier in the army of liberation. I assure you that I shall be with you in darkness and in sunshine, in sorrow and in joy, in suffering and in victory....

"My soldiers! Let your battle-cry be 'To Delhi! To Delhi!' How many of us will survive this war of freedom I do not know. But I do know this: that we shall ultimately win and our task will not end until our surviving heroes hold the victory parade on another graveyard of the British Empire."

Powerfully And Courageously Netaji Thundered:...

Powerfully and courageously Netaji thundered:

"Will not the enslaved people of India cast off their lethargy, sink their petty differences and stand up as one man to demand liberty for this great and ancient land?"

On 21 October 1943, In Singapore,...

On 21 October 1943, in Singapore, Netaji took a most sacred oath as the Supreme Commander of the I.N.A. His oath is indeed the supreme height of love's self-sacrifice-breath and self-surrender-life:

"In the name of God, I take this sacred oath that to liberate India and the thirty-eight crores of my countrymen, I, Subhas Chandra Bose, will continue the sacred war of freedom till the last breath of my life...."

A Soldier Who Was Present On The...

A soldier who was present on the unforgettable occasion when Netaji swore this oath carries us into the emotion-flooded atmosphere of the moment:

"When the time came for Netaji to take his oath, a great hush descended upon the hall. It was a solemn moment. Netaji started with a firm voice. Then it began to quiver with emotion.... Suddenly he was sobbing; tears rolled down his cheeks. There was dead silence. No one could help him. All were helpless.

"The tension was terrific. Someone cried out, 'Netaji ki jai' -'Victory to Netaji!' The cry was taken up, to echo and re-echo in the lofty hall."

He Implanted In His I....

He implanted in his I.N.A. soldiers the realisation that they were the pioneers of tomorrow's dawn:

"Throughout my public career, I have always felt that though India is otherwise ripe for independence in every way, she has lacked one thing, namely an army of libera-tion. George Washington could fight and win freedom because he had his army....It is your privilege and honour to be the first to come forward and organise India's National Army. By doing so, you have removed our last obstacle in our path to freedom. Be happy and proud that you are the pioneers, the vanguard, in such a noble cause."

Unlike Those Of Some Patriots, ...

Unlike those of some patriots,

Netaji's speeches were not superfluous.

His speeches were all

Divinely intoxicating,

Supremely fiery

And absolutely rapturous.

Netaji'S Visionary Speeches Lit A Fire Never...

Netaji's visionary speeches lit a fire never to be forgotten in the hearts of his listeners:

"Let us break with the past, destroy all the shackles which have bound us for ages, and like true pilgrims, let us march shoulder to shoulder towards the destined goal of freedom. Freedom means life, and death in the pursuit of freedom means glory imperishable....

"It is only freedom-intoxicated men and women who will be able to free humanity."

Wherever He Went, ...

Wherever he went,

He carried the hearts

Of his friends and admirers

In a thaumaturgic way.

Gandhi-Ji'S Glowing Sincerity Spoke When He Admired...

Gandhi-ji's glowing sincerity spoke when he admired the I.N.A.'s achievements:

"The I.N.A. have a lot to their credit, of which they might well be proud. Greatest among these was to gather together, under one banner, men from all religions and races of India, and to infuse into them the spirit of solidarity and oneness to the exclusion of all communal or parochial sentiment. It is an example which we should all emulate."

The Path Of Ahimsa (non-Violence) Was Not...

The path of ahimsa (non-violence) was not for Netaji. When he was only 17 years old, he came to the realisation that military strength was indispensable. He wrote:

"If India was to be a modern, civilised nation, she would have to pay the price and she would not by any means shirk the physical, the military, problem....

"The war had shown that a nation that did not possess military strength could not hope to preserve its independence."

The Limitless Service-Capacities...

The limitless service-capacities

Of his eagerness-heart and willingness-life

Netaji ceaselessly offered

To the freedom-cause of India.

Netaji'S Oneness With The Hardships His Soldiers...

Netaji's oneness with the hardships his soldiers endured, in addition to his countless other responsibilities, served to permanently emblazon the cause of Mother India's freedom upon their lives. One of his soldiers later recounted:

"The I.N.A. soldiers travelled and marched mainly on foot. They traversed the whole distance of 1100 miles separating Singapore from the Imphal front on foot only. Subhas Babu himself walked for miles on end. Such was the Supreme Commander of the I.N.A."

Netaji Never Gave Up And He Never...

Netaji never gave up and he never lost hope. When there was no possibility for him to fruitfully serve his beloved country from inside India, he went to Germany and then to Japan-at great personal risk. Immediately after the Japanese surrender in 1945, Netaji decided that he would go to Russia to carry on his fight from there. No land was too far for him to reach, no danger too great for him to brook. Even after the I.N.A.'s defeat in 1944 at Imphal, near the Burmese border in India, Netaji declared:

"Since we are fighting for justice and truth and for the birthright of liberty, and since we are prepared to pay the full price of that liberty, freedom is bound to come if only we fight on."

Countless Indians Thrilled To His Words And...

Countless Indians thrilled to his words and discovered in him a beacon to dispel the clouds of darkness and guide them to freedom's sunlit horizon:

"This is the technique of the soul. The individual must die, so that the nation may live. Today I must die, so that India may live and win freedom and glory."

Netaji'S Historic Address To His Army Upon...

Netaji's historic address to his army upon entering India in 1944 runs:

"There, there in the distance-beyond that river, beyond those jungles, beyond those hills, lies the promised land, the soil from which we sprang, the land to which we shall now return. We shall carve our way through the enemy's ranks or, if God wills, we shall die a martyr's death and in our last sleep we shall kiss the road that will bring our army to Delhi. The road to Delhi is the road to freedom. Chalo Delhi!"

Netaji'S Sleepless And Breathless Self-Giving For His...

Netaji's sleepless and breathless self-giving for his country inspired countless stories of unparalleled sacrifice on the part of his brothers and sisters:

"Once, during a mammoth meeting in Rangoon, a garland which Netaji had been wearing during the earlier part of the meeting was auctioned. The first bid which was given in the name of Indian independence was for one lac of rupees. A youth cried out: 'Two lacs.' Then the bidding increased: three, four, five, six, seven lacs. The youth could put up with it no longer. He ran towards the pulpit and said: 'Netaji, I give everything that belongs to me. I lay all my property at your feet.' Netaji hugged him to his bosom and said: 'Yes, this garland is yours. This garland will adorn the neck of our Bharat Mata when she becomes free.'"

Even As The British Military Was Assaulting...

Even as the British military was assaulting Netaji's I.N.A. in Rangoon and elsewhere with ferocious ground and air attacks, Netaji's one-pointed intensity only increased. Sisir Bose vividly describes his uncle at the time of his 48th and final birthday on earth:

"Netaji himself continued to work twenty hours a day inspecting troops and facilities, while his adjutants had to be replaced three times on account of exhaustion...."

Even When He Knew There Was Little...

Even when he knew there was little chance of success, Netaji's eagerness-heart pined to help his suffering countrymen. A compatriot in exile records:

"Every day Netaji used to listen eagerly to the news from India; and when he knew of the terrible famine in Bengal which was taking a heavy toll of human lives, Netaji was greatly perturbed. He was always thinking how he could come to the aid of his starving countrymen, especially the people of Bengal for whom his heart bled."

And So Would It Have Continued Had...

And so would it have continued had Netaji's sublime vision of Bengal's future come to pass. He once wrote:

"One of the dreams that have inspired me and given a purpose to my life is that of a great and undivided Bengal devoted to the service of India and of humanity-a Bengal that is above all sects and groups and is the home alike of the Moslem, the Hindu, the Christian and the Buddhist. It is this Bengal-the Bengal of my dreams-the Bengal of the future still in embryo-that I worship and strive to serve in my daily life."

Needless to say, the partition of Bengal put an end to the Bengal of Netaji's dreams!

Netaji'S Spirited Rallying Of The Youth Of...

Netaji's spirited rallying of the youth of India was surcharged with a super-abundance of enthusiasm:

"Arise, young men of Calcutta, with enthusiasm in your blood. The whole world has been made by the energy of man, by the power of enthusiasm, by the power of faith."

In This Respect, I Gladly Join...

In this respect, I gladly join the company of his dearest friend Dilip Kumar Roy, who wrote:

"The more closely I came to know him, the more convinced I became that he was an authentic mystic at heart, that he could worship with every fibre of his passionate being the divine aura and essence of Mother India."

Netaji Was Not...

Netaji was not

A restless dreamer,

But a dauntless performer.

The Road To Independence Was Blocked By...

The road to independence was blocked by mountainous obstacles. But Netaji's determination would not allow him to be daunted. He wrote:

"A true revolutionary is one who never acknowledges defeat, who never feels depressed or disheartened."

Netaji Told His Countrymen, ...

Netaji told his countrymen,

'Be not afraid of speed!

Our love of our Motherland

And our sacrifice for Her

Must fly faster than any bird can fly.'*

* Note: Single quotation marks have been used throughout the book to indicate sections which are not direct quotations but the author's own poetic interpretations.

Netaji Often Showed His Oneness-Heart To His...

Netaji often showed his oneness-heart to his beloved soldiers. He shared the same austere life and he often used to eat with them. At all times, he insisted on receiving exactly the same treatment as everybody else:

Since Netaji was the Commander-in-Chief, he used to be given four pieces of bread at meal time. One day he happened to notice that the regular soldiers were served only two pieces. He asked them, 'Why are you giving me four pieces when your portion is only two?'

They said, 'You are our leader, so you deserve more.'

'I deserve more?' said Netaji. 'Have I not established my oneness with you all? What kind of justice is it that you get two and I get four? Take them away!'

They removed the extra pieces from Netaji's plate and he happily declared, 'Now I am ready to eat. I cannot have more than you who are my dearest brothers. There should be equal treatment.'

Repeatedly He Told His Friends...

Repeatedly he told his friends

To harbour positive thoughts.

Only in this way

Could they build an express highway

To the independence of India.

And He Himself Led The Way By...

And he himself led the way by envisioning the vast impact for good that India's independence would have on humanity at large:

"Ours is a struggle not only against British imperialism but against world imperialism as well, of which the former is the keystone. We are, therefore, fighting not for the cause of India alone but of humanity as well. India freed means humanity saved."

Netaji Received Tremendous Joy...

Netaji received tremendous joy

From studying the gospel

Of eternal optimism.

Although Success-Phantom At Times Eluded Him...

Although success-phantom at times eluded him

In his dreams for Mother India's liberation,

Netaji's heart became the heart-home

Of India's revolutionaries.

I Refuse To Accept The Stone-Blind Opinion...

I refuse to accept the stone-blind opinion

Of those who declare that Netaji's I.N.A.

Was an absolute failure in every way.

True, he lost on the battlefield,

But in terms of bringing about Indian unity,

He was the only leader to unite

Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs

And other religious faiths.

He wanted all his brothers and sisters

To join together and give their very lives

To bring about India's freedom.

They did it-proudly and happily.

Is this not the greatest victory?

Never Did Netaji Think, ...

Never did Netaji think,

Even for a fleeting second,

That his India-liberation-desire-fulfilment

Was unattainable.

Uncertainty-hesitation-indecisiveness

Failed to dog him.

From His Childhood Days To His Last...

From his childhood days to his last living moments, every fibre of Netaji's being was imbued with the unshakable mission to free his Motherland. Colonel Habib-ur-Rahman was the only colleague who was with Netaji on the plane that crashed during takeoff from Taipei on 18 August 1945. The Colonel said that Netaji spoke to him from his hospital bed just minutes before he passed behind the curtain of Eternity:

"Habib, I feel I shall die soon. I have fought for India's freedom till the last. Tell my countrymen India will be free before long. Long live free India!"