Legends of Bose's survival Death of Subhas Chandra Bose

1 legends of bose s survival

1.1 immediate post-war legends
1.2 enduring legends
1.3 perspectives on durability of legends

legends of bose s survival
immediate post-war legends

subhas chandra bose s exploits had become legendary long before physical death in august 1945. time had escaped house arrest in calcutta in 1940, rumours had been rife in india whether or not alive, , if latter, , doing. appearance in faraway germany in 1941 created sense of mystery activities. congress leaders in jail in wake of quit india resolution in august 1942 , indian public starved political news, bose s radio broadcasts berlin charting radical plans india s liberation during time when star of germany still rising , of britain @ lowest, made him object of adulation among many in india , southeast asia. during 2 years in germany, according historian romain hayes, if bose gradually obtained respect in berlin, in tokyo earned fervent admiration , seen indian samurai . when bose appeared in southeast asia in july 1943, brought mysteriously on german , japanese submarines, figure of mythical size , reach.

after bose s death, bose s other lieutenants, have accompanied him manchuria, left behind on tarmac in saigon, never saw body. there no photographs taken of injured or deceased bose, neither death certificate issued. according historian leonard a. gordon,

the war ending; chaotic in east asia, , there no official reports released governments of india or britain. these governments did nothing prevent confusion. members of india s interim government in 1946 waffled on matter. bose had disappeared several times earlier in life; rumours began again in 1945 , powerful myth grew.

for these 2 reasons, when news of bose s death reported, many in ina refused believe , able transmit disbelief wider public. source of widespread skepticism in ina might have been bose s senior officer j. r. bhonsle. bhonsle, unlike other senior officers, had been kept in dark bose s final plans, in part because had become agent british. when japanese delegation, included general isoda, visited bhonsle on 19 august 1945 break news , offer condolences, responded telling isoda bose had not died, rather disappearance has been covered up. mohandas gandhi swiftly said skeptical air crash, changed mind after meeting indian survivor habibur rahman. in 1940, before long, in 1945, rumours rife had happened bose, whether in soviet-held manchuria, prisoner of soviet army, or whether had gone hiding cooperation of soviet army. lakshmi swaminathan, of all-female rani of jhansi regiment of ina, later lakshmi sahgal, said in spring 1946 thought bose in china. many rumours spoke of bose preparing final march on delhi. time when bose began sighted people, 1 sighter claiming had met bose in third-class compartment of bombay express on thursday.

enduring legends

in 1950s, stories appeared in bose had become sadhu, or hindu renunciant. best-known , intricate of renunciant tales of subhas bose, , 1 which, according historian leonard a. gordon, may called myth, told in 1960s. associates of bose, 2 decades before, had formed organization, subhasbadi janata , promote story in bose chief sadhu of ashram (or hermitage) in shaulmari (also shoulmari) in north bengal. janata brought out published material, including several newspapers , magazines. of these, long lived , short, all, number, attempted create illusion of story s newsworthiness. chief sadhu himself vigorously denied being bose. several intimates of bose, including politicians, met sadhu, supported denials. so, subhasbadi janata able create elaborate chronology of bose s post-war activities.

according chronology, after return india, bose returned vocation of youth: became hindu renunciant. attended unseen gandhi s cremation in delhi in february 1948; walked across , around india several times; became yogi @ shiva temple in bareilly in north central india 1956 1959; became practitioner of herbal medicine , effected several cures, including 1 of tuberculosis; , established shaulmari ashram in 1959, taking religious name srimat saradanandaji. bose, moreover, engaged in tapasya, or meditation, free world, goals having been broadened, after first goal—freeing india—was achieved. attempt so, however, , assume true identity, being thwarted jointly political parties, newspapers, indian government, foreign governments.

others stories appeared, spun janata , others. bose still in soviet union or people s republic of china; attended indian prime minister jawaharlal nehru s cremation in 1964, but, time, neglecting disallow janata-published newspaper photograph him; , gave notice janta of return calcutta, several publicized rallies organized. bose did not appear. janata broke up, reputation marred successive non-appearances of protagonist. real sadhu of shaulmari, continued deny bose, died in 1977. claimed nikita khrushchev had reportedly told interpreter during new delhi visit bose can produced within 45 days if nehru wishes.

still other stories or hoaxes—elucidated conspiracies , accompanied fake photographs—of now-aging bose being in soviet union or china had traction 80s. bose seen in photograph taken in beijing, inexplicably parading chinese red army. bose said in soviet gulag. soviet leadership said blackmailing nehru, , later, indira gandhi, threat of releasing bose. indian member of parliament, samar guha, released in 1979 claimed contemporaneous photograph of bose. turned out have been doctored, comprising one-half bose , one-half elder brother sarat chandra bose. guha charged nehru having had knowledge of bose s incarceration in soviet union in 1950s, charge guha recanted after sued.

for remainder of century , next, renunciant legends continued appear. prominently, retired judge, had been appointed indian government in 1999 undertake enquiry bose s death, brought public notice sannyasi or renunciant, gumnami baba, known religious name, bhagwanji, said have lived in town of faizabad in indian state of uttar pradesh. according historian sugata bose,

in october 2002, (the judge) sent letters members of bose family asking them donate 1 milliliter of blood dna match 1 gumnami baba, persons had claimed none other netaji subhas chandra bose. evidence naturally did not support bizarre theory.

earlier, in 1977, summing extant bose legends, historian joyce chapman lebra had written,

stories persist netaji has become sannyasi (holy man) , has been seen in naga hill country of assam; member of mongolian trade delegation in peking; lives in russia; in chinese army. ... pictures have been produced prove netaji still alive. bose s family have announced @ times in hiding , return india when time right. in february 1966, suresh chandra bose announced in press brother return in march. date, however, bose has not reappeared contradict evidence died in crash on taiwan. myth lives on.

perspectives on durability of legends

according historians christopher bayly , tim harper:

the legend of netaji bose s survival helped bind defeated ina. in bengal became assurance of province s supreme importance in liberation of motherland. sustained morale of many across india , southeast asia deplored return of british power or felt alienated political settlement achieved gandhi , nehru.

amid this, joyce chapman lebra, wrote in 2008:

japanese have wished return ashes bengal, believe soul not rest in peace until ashes brought home. prospect of having netaji s ashes in bengal, however, has been known incite rioting, happened 1 year @ annual 23 january convention @ netaji research bureau in calcutta. hot-headed young bengali radicals broke convention hall fujiwara, founder of ina, address assemblage , shouted abuse @ him. apparently newspaper had published rumour fujiwara had brought netaji s ashes back.

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