The Quest For Freedom: A Study of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

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Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was a born charismatic leader of men who inspired the young generation of Indians from his school days till his death His dauntless courage and supreme sacrifice for the cause of Indian freedom have transformed him into a myth. The present work is an humble attempt to recapture some of the major aspects of the life and legacy of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The work is divided into four sections 1. Life and Times 2.The Man and His Personality 3. Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose 4. Documents. The book also contains a few appendices and a chronological record of his illustrious life. All the major activities and ideas of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose have been analysed and interpreted against the backdrop of national and international developments with the aim of assigning a proper place for the prophet of freedom in the annals of history.

V.P. Gupta has been associated with teaching, editing, translation and publishing throughout his active. career He has sponsored a number of multi-authored projects and translated a number of outstanding works such as those of Laski, Banker Hardy, Sabine, Carr, Mowat, etc. His Encyclopedia of Political Science. Sources of Translation Theory, Our Composite Culture, and Development of Human Thought have been well-received in academic circles He is currently working on an Encyclopedia of Punjab and a series of studies on Contemporary Indian Thinkers.

Mohini Gupta is essentially a housewife and has been closely associated with the intellectual pursuits of her husband Shri VP Gupta She has co-authored a number of books including The Concept of Mother Goddess and biographical studies on Raja Ram Mohun Roy, Dr. BR Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Her two-volume magnum opus Fifty Years of Indian Independence published during the fiftieth year of Indian independence is an encyclopedic venture on contemporary India.

While celebrating the golden jubilee of Indian independence it is our bounden duty to have a fresh look at the ideas and ideals of our freedom movement. There was something in the air which prompted millions of our countrymen to suffer and lay down their precious lives at the altar of the mother India. They willingly underwent the trauma of facing bullets, prison and even gallows, with dreams in their eyes and hopes in their bosoms. They did so with a vision for the future. They have bequeathed a legacy of unrealised aspirations to the present generation. The leaders of the freedom struggle were successful in awakening the youth, men and women, from the slumber of centuries. They inspired the young to listen to the woe of their compatriots and shed the last drop of their blood to vindicate the honour of their country. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was a leading light of the epic struggle. The grateful nation is paying its tribute to the memory of its martyr son during his centenary birth anniversary. The people are also trying to recapture some of the inspiration he imparted to his countrymen, not only through words, but also through deeds. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was born on January 23, 1897 and following the surrender ot the Japanese and consequently of the L.N.A forces to the Allied Powers he allegedly passed away on August 18, 1945 in a plane crash. The indefatigable crusader for India's freedom had a life span barely of less than 49 years. He was a born charismatic leader of men and along with Jawaharlal Nehru inspired the young generation of Indians from his early school day till his death.

The present work is an humble attempt to recapture some of the major aspects of the life and legacy of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The work is divided into four sections. Section One: Life and Times, deals with the tumultous life and times of Subhas Chandra Bose. It gives an account of his parentage, boyhood days, education, debut in Indian politics, work as Chief Executive Officer and Mayor of Calcutta Corporation, sojourn in Europe, prison terms, ascendancy, encounters with Mahatraa Gandhi, escape to Germany, role as the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian National Army and finally his tragic end in an aircrash. The various phases and events of Subhas's life have been analysed and interpreted against the backdrop of national and international developments Section Two: The Man and His Vision, dissects the paersonality of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and discusses some of his major social and political ideas. Netaji, unlike most of his colleagues in the freedom movement, had developed a complete programme for the national emancipation and also for the social, economic and political reconstruction of India after gaining independence. Some of his concepts have relevance even today.

Section Three: Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is devoted to a comparative study of the role, ideas and techniques of Mahatma Gandhi and Subhas Chandra Bose. After surveying the Gandhian era of Indian politics, the section portrays the psychological make-up of Mahatma Gandhi and examines the essential elements of Gandhian thought and practice. The authors have presented a critique of Gandhian leadership in terms of its theoretical formulations and practical necessities. They have also endeavored to draw a balance sheet underlining the similarities as well as the differences between the two approaches to the Indian problem-one represented by Mahatma Gandhi and the other by Subhas Chandra Bose. Section Four Documents, contains some important writings, speeches and proclamations of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. These pieces help us to understand the mind of Subhas Chandra Bose-his view of the contemporary problems and his vision of a free India.

The authors have also ventured to include a few appendices and a chronological record of Netaji's illustrious life. While the appendices present some of the favourite poems and songs of Netaji, the chronological record is a bird's eye view of the major dates and events in his remarkable career.

The authors are grateful to Dr Y.P Anand, Director National Gandhi Museum, New Delhi for compiling the chronological record of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. They also wish to thank Shri Hari Shankar Mathur, the librarian of the museum for bibliographical assistance. Our friend Dr. S.P Bhatnagar has been very generous in loaning a number of books from his personal library.

**Contents and Sample Pages**