“The historical value of information pertaining to the life and death of Bose cannot be denied. Yet there is no definitive book on the subject. One reason is the government’s insistence that the papers in its possession are “top secret”. Civilised countries declassify the topmost secrets after a certain period of time. India’s policy of secrecy only leads to twisted histories. Even on the India-China war, we only have a biased Englishman’s version.” – T.J.S. George
A return to the theme of Subhas Chandra Bose is necessitated by the “discovery” of two books. Both are by Lt. Manwati Arya who was born in Burma and joined the INA’s women’s wing, the Rani Jhansi Regiment, in her early 20s. Patriot (2007) is a “personalised biography” of Netaji. It is flowery and exaggerated: Bose’s marriage to Emilie Schenkl is called “the divine wedlock”.
Judgement: No Aircrash, No Death (2010) is a compendium of records and stories about Netaji’s widely reported death in Formosa in an air crash. The burden of the book is that both the air crash and the death were figments of Japan’s—and Netaji’s—imagination and that in fact Bose escaped to Russia, then made his way to India. (With Japan collapsing in the war, the British were planning to arrest Bose. Which would explain his eagerness to avoid landing in Japan).
These are not books in the modern idiom, with style and polish making for pleasurable reading. But they contain historically important material. Judgement, in particular, marshals evidence to show that Bose lived as “Pardewala Baba” in Naimisharanya in Uttar Pradesh and as “Gumnami Baba” in Faizabad and Ayodhya until he died on September 16, 1985.
Many of the details have appeared in newspapers and books. There have been several commissions of enquiry as well although it was known that Jawaharlal Nehru was ambivalent about Bose (some say hostile) and wanted the air crash story to stick. According to the just-published India’s Biggest Cover-up by Anuj Ddewala babahar, British intelligence did not believe reports of Bose’s death, but Indian officials suppressed that part of Britain’s input.
Judgement says papers received by Nehru indicated that Netaji flew from Saigon to Diren in Manchuria in August 1945 in a Japanese bomber, then drove in a waiting jeep towards Russian territory. There is also a letter purportedly written by Nehru to British Prime Minister Attlee saying that “Subhas Chandra Bose, your war criminal, has been allowed to enter Russian territory by Stalin … a clear treachery by the Russians”.
According to this book, Gumnami Baba would talk at length to visitors from behind a curtain. He would refer to little-known roads and localities in Berlin, Tokyo, Kabul and Singapore. He would mention details about world leaders such as “Churchill could not pronounce the sound S”. Among papers catalogued after his death were photocopies of letters written and received by Netaji. Photographs of Netaji’s parents were said to have been in the Baba’s rooms. It was said that Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi knew all about him and the District Administration in Faizabad took care to ensure the Baba’s privacy.
The book reminds us that it was Hitler who suggested that Netaji travel from Germany to Asia in a submarine to avoid the risk of air travel. The Japanese naval command objected, saying civilians could not travel in a warship in wartime. The Germans said that Bose was “by no means a private person, but commander-in-chief of the Indian Liberation Army”. In a risky rendezvous off Madagascar, Bose was transferred to a Japanese sub.
A passage quoted from Justice P B Chakraborty shows that in Attlee’s assessment, Mahatma Gandhi had “minimal” impact on British policies. The final decision to “leave India in a hurry” was due to the “activities of Subhas Bose which weakened the very foundations of the attachment of the Indian land and naval forces to the British Government” (Attlee, a guest at the Calcutta Raj Bhavan in 1956, mentioned this directly to Justice Chakraborty who was then the acting governor).
The historical value of information pertaining to the life and death of Bose cannot be denied. Yet there is no definitive book on the subject. One reason is the government’s insistence that the papers in its possession are “top secret”. Civilised countries declassify the topmost secrets after a certain period of time. India’s policy of secrecy only leads to twisted histories. Even on the India-China war, we only have a biased Englishman’s version. – The New Indian Express, Chennai, 15 July 2012
» T.J.S. George is a contributing editor at The New Indian Express, Chennai.
This video purports to show Subhas Chandra Bose dressed as a Buddhist monk attending the funeral of Nehru in New Delhi in 1964.
Filed under: british india, geopolitics, history, india, indian independence movement, indian national congress, indian politics, media, nationalism Tagged: | azad hind fauj, british india, crash story, gumnami baba, INA, indian history, indian independence movement, indian national army, jawaharlal nehru, netaji, pardewala baba, politics, subhas chandra bose
I do belive netaji not died in aircrash but in russia as war criminal and nehru is the main culprit.But netaji is gumnami baba i don’t believe it. Netaji is religious no doubt about that but he is brave man he never live such a gumnami life.It is just a conspricy theory.The video you posted from youtube is not true.Even if netaji live why he go his enemy nehru funeral.The man in the video netaji look like buddhist monk.
Most important book on Netaji is by Anuj Dhar, called ,Back from death.
Mr. Dhar lost his job from a famous Indian English daily for writing this book.
Yes it is true that after 2nd world war the Britain has kept the name of Subhash Chandra Bose as a war criminal for atleast 40 years. Also the accident in Taiwan was a fake as per the research. In 1987 Mr Gorbachev the President USSR visited india.During that visit he said that Mr.Bose was in Russia until the death of Stalin. I think Russians must have blackmailed Congress leaders like Nehru,Indira Gandhi for which they are joined Russia during cold war.
As far as I know, it was Nehru who declared Netaji as a war criminal.
Japan agreed to eliminate Netaji;
In WW-I, Japan was an ally of British. Before WW-II, Japan-US trade war and political war started, this led to actual war between US and Japan. So British became an enemy to Japan by diplomatic manipulation as US – British alliance was there. After WW-II, Japan revived their old connection with British via spies. Japanese and British spies were enough linked before WW-II. Japanese spies agreed to eliminate Netaji. Motive was to appease the British and purchase security for Japan royal family. Thus, Japan sold Netaji to British and British eliminated him. The false news of air crash was Japan’s fabrication. In any controversial case, liar is to be suspected first.
Netaji’s plan to start second independence war with the help of USSR was known to Japan. There was enough scope for British and Japanese spies to develop a common minimum program against pro-communist agenda of Netaji. Why should Japanese imperialism agree to patronize emergence of independent India as a permanent communist ally? Is it not more logical to fulfill British condition and purchase favor? Why Japan royal family was not tried as a war criminal? What is the mystery behind this favor? Japan agreed to eliminate Netaji;
In WW-I, Japan was an ally of British. Before WW-II, Japan-US trade war and political war started, this led to actual war between US and Japan. So British became an enemy to Japan by diplomatic manipulation as US – British alliance was there. After WW-II, Japan revived their old connection with British via spies. Japanese and British spies were enough linked before WW-II. Japanese spies agreed to eliminate Netaji. Motive was to appease the British and purchase security for Japan royal family. Thus, Japan sold Netaji to British and British eliminated him. The false news of air crash was Japan’s fabrication. In any controversial case, liar is to be suspected first.
Netaji’s plan to start second independence war with the help of USSR was known to Japan. There was enough scope for British and Japanese spies to develop a common minimum program against pro-communist agenda of Netaji. Why should Japanese imperialism agree to patronize emergence of independent India as a permanent communist ally? Is it not more logical to fulfill British condition and purchase favor? Why Japan royal family was not tried as a war criminal? What is the mystery behind this favor?
Japan agreed to eliminate Netaji. In WW-I, Japan was an ally of British. Before WW-II, Japan-US trade war and political war started, this led to actual war between US and Japan. So British became an enemy to Japan by diplomatic manipulation as US – British alliance was there. After WW-II, Japan revived their old connection with British via spies. Japanese and British spies were enough linked before WW-II. Japanese spies agreed to eliminate Netaji. Motive was to appease the British and purchase security for Japan royal family. Thus, Japan sold Netaji to British and British eliminated him. The false news of air crash was Japan’s fabrication. In any controversial case, liar is to be suspected first.
Netaji’s plan to start second independence war with the help of USSR was known to Japan. There was enough scope for British and Japanese spies to develop a common minimum program against pro-communist agenda of Netaji. Why should Japanese imperialism agree to patronize emergence of independent India as a permanent communist ally? Is it not more logical to fulfill British condition and purchase favor? Why Japan royal family was not tried as a war criminal? What is the mystery behind this favor?