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I was a young boy when I had my first introduction to ‘Netaji’ Subhas Chandra Bose, through a children’s magazine. Going through a pictographic portrayal of his life and struggle for Indian independence, I couldn’t make much about him at that time. With words like freedom, sacrifice, dedication and death not making much of a sense to my young mind, I didn’t understand him as a leader then. However, the adventures of his escape from house arrest, travel to Japan in a submarine and his death in a plane crash, have all stayed in my mind since then. Hence, when I came across this biography of him in the bookstore, I felt a bit of keenness to pick it up sometime. And, I must say that this book has added so much of details to those sketchy images that I have been carrying about him in my mind so far.
‘His Majesty’s Opponent’ is a biography of this great leader of men, compiled meticulously by his grand-nephew, Sugata Bose (grandson of his elder brother, Sarat Chandra Bose). Coming from the filial circle, this ought to be the most authentic version of his biographies. With elaborate research and extensive interviews with his contemporaries and comrades in arms, the author has done a splendid job.
Like all the great personalities, Netaji has his own share of admirers and detractors. However, no other leader’s life has ever been a bundle of adventure and mystery like that of Netaji. From the episode of the attack on a college professor to his escape from the house arrest to his marrying his Austrian love and to his death, there are so many portions of his life that still remain shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. However, his contribution to the Indian freedom struggle, his dedication to the cause of freedom of his motherland, his focus and efforts to work for the welfare and equal treatment of women, peasants, poor and underprivileged classes in society as well as the religious minorities are all beyond doubt.
The author has displayed enough tact to push at full strength the leader’s claim to glory, whenever the events are up for all to see, while he does not lift the covers completely on some of the episodes that could cause a dent to the leader’s greatness. Like the case of the attack on the college professor Edward Farley Oaten or Netaji’s having kept his own marriage hidden from the eyes of even his own family members.
However, the author has done a great job in clarifying certain sore points like Netaji’s siding up with the Germans and Japanese in the World War II, his choosing to question the correctness of Mahatma Gandhi’s political stance, and his confrontations with come bigwigs of the Congress Working Committee. While the author has steered clear of any controversy, by not questioning Mahatma’s greatness, lesser mortals like Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru are not given any such respite. The author has starkly presented the views held by Subhas regarding these people.
It is always a reality that Mahatma and Subhas have been locking horns often, with contrary views in ways to attain freedom – with Gandhi wanting to get it and Netaji wanting to wrest it. But it is also a reality that both these great humans have had mutual respect and admiration for one another at personal level. After all, isn’t that a quality of greatness?!
Another most important aspect of this book is that it establishes beyond doubt Netaji’s death due to a plane crash in Formosa Island. With elaborate details about his death, narrations by his co-passenger and survivor from that crash, Habibur Rahman, as well as some other accounts of the Japanese military personnel, he clears the mystery that surrounds Netaji’s disappearance.
It might shred the hearts of so many Indians to find that their leader did indeed die a gruesome death without seeing his dream come true, but as Subhas had always believed, ‘in this mortal world, everything perishes, and will perish, but ideas, ideals and dreams do not’, the story of his life and sacrifice will remain a beacon of hope for millions of young minds that believe in a world of equality and justice!
‘His Majesty’s Opponent’ is a biography of this great leader of men, compiled meticulously by his grand-nephew, Sugata Bose (grandson of his elder brother, Sarat Chandra Bose). Coming from the filial circle, this ought to be the most authentic version of his biographies. With elaborate research and extensive interviews with his contemporaries and comrades in arms, the author has done a splendid job.
Like all the great personalities, Netaji has his own share of admirers and detractors. However, no other leader’s life has ever been a bundle of adventure and mystery like that of Netaji. From the episode of the attack on a college professor to his escape from the house arrest to his marrying his Austrian love and to his death, there are so many portions of his life that still remain shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. However, his contribution to the Indian freedom struggle, his dedication to the cause of freedom of his motherland, his focus and efforts to work for the welfare and equal treatment of women, peasants, poor and underprivileged classes in society as well as the religious minorities are all beyond doubt.
The author has displayed enough tact to push at full strength the leader’s claim to glory, whenever the events are up for all to see, while he does not lift the covers completely on some of the episodes that could cause a dent to the leader’s greatness. Like the case of the attack on the college professor Edward Farley Oaten or Netaji’s having kept his own marriage hidden from the eyes of even his own family members.
However, the author has done a great job in clarifying certain sore points like Netaji’s siding up with the Germans and Japanese in the World War II, his choosing to question the correctness of Mahatma Gandhi’s political stance, and his confrontations with come bigwigs of the Congress Working Committee. While the author has steered clear of any controversy, by not questioning Mahatma’s greatness, lesser mortals like Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru are not given any such respite. The author has starkly presented the views held by Subhas regarding these people.
It is always a reality that Mahatma and Subhas have been locking horns often, with contrary views in ways to attain freedom – with Gandhi wanting to get it and Netaji wanting to wrest it. But it is also a reality that both these great humans have had mutual respect and admiration for one another at personal level. After all, isn’t that a quality of greatness?!
Another most important aspect of this book is that it establishes beyond doubt Netaji’s death due to a plane crash in Formosa Island. With elaborate details about his death, narrations by his co-passenger and survivor from that crash, Habibur Rahman, as well as some other accounts of the Japanese military personnel, he clears the mystery that surrounds Netaji’s disappearance.
It might shred the hearts of so many Indians to find that their leader did indeed die a gruesome death without seeing his dream come true, but as Subhas had always believed, ‘in this mortal world, everything perishes, and will perish, but ideas, ideals and dreams do not’, the story of his life and sacrifice will remain a beacon of hope for millions of young minds that believe in a world of equality and justice!
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