Clearing the Netaji mystery

THE DEATH OF ``Netaji'' Subhash Chandra Bose, taking place as it did in the midst of World War II, was sought to be shrouded in mystery. It may be true that the campaign carried out by a section of those claiming to be Netaji's legatees - that Bose had managed to survive the crash - lacked credibility even at the time when it was initiated. But then, the political context in which the campaign was taking place - the emergence of Jawaharlal Nehru as the natural leader of independent India and as Prime Minister later on - had given the campaign an unwarranted twist. The narration by Dr. Taneyoshi Yoshimi (a doctor serving in the Japanese Army at the time of the Netaji's death) who had examined and treated Bose after the crash must finally put the lid firmly on the decades-long ``controversy'' for whatever it is worth. Dr. Yoshimi's description of the events on August 18, 1945 (the day on which Netaji was brought to the Nanmon Military Hospital), going into such details as the extent of burns that Netaji had suffered and the kind of medical treatment and the death within hours after he was brought to the hospital must serve to put a stop to any debate on whether the death took place then and there or whether Bose survived the crash. Dr. Yoshimi's narration also includes the state of all those who accompanied Netaji on that fateful flight from Taihoku airport.

There were not really many takers for the story that Netaji survived the crash. The story, at least for a number of those who peddled it, was nothing more than a fantasy; they refused to believe that their leader was dead. But then, a story of that kind did have its implication (rather, some utility for a section) in the political arena. The legacy of Subhash Chandra Bose was sought to be constructed in a way so that it appeared that there was a permanent conflict between Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru. And it was in this context that tales began to be constructed suggesting that Bose was ``captured'' alive and imprisoned in the Soviet Union; the construction went on to suggest a ``conspiracy'' entered into between the leaders of independent India and the regime in the Soviet Union to ensure that Bose did not return to India for ever. Bose, indeed, had differences with a whole lot of those who led the Indian National Congress including Mahatma Gandhi. But then, these were differences in perception on the form of the struggle for freedom. Bose was in perfect agreement with Gandhi as much with Jawaharlal Nehru insofar as the definition of freedom was concerned. They were all together in defining the struggle for freedom and Indian nationalism as an idea rooted firmly in the principles of secularism, egalitarianism and democracy. Bose was no less committed to resisting any attempts, even then, by forces wedded to notions of nationalism based on cultural or other forms of denominations.

It is this legacy of Bose that needs to be recalled at this stage rather than engaging oneself in a debate as to whether he really died in a plane crash or whether he survived. After Dr. Yoshimi has narrated the events during the few hours before Bose was dead, one will expect even those who insist on disbelieving the news of the INA leader's death to come to terms with the truth. And insofar as the legacy of Netaji is concerned, the cause he stood for will be served better if all the claimants to the legacy commit themselves to building an egalitarian and democratic order. Bose's most important contribution to the nation - the Indian National Army (INA) - after all stood for these values. And more than these, Netaji's comrades in the INA refused to allow religious identities to play any role in the making of the Indian nation. The best way to remember Netaji hence will be to accept these ideas and build on them.

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