Bose had announced the formation of the country's first independent government - 'Azad Hind Government' - on October 21, 1943.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hoisted tricolour at the Red Fort to mark the 75th anniversary of the 'Azad Hind Government' headed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Traditionally, the prime minister hoists the national tricolour at the historic Red Fort on Independence Day on August 15.
Modi had announced on Wednesday that he would join a flag-hoisting ceremony at Red Fort on October 21.
"I will have the opportunity to participate in a flag-hoisting ceremony at Red Fort on October 21. Now you will ask - why the flag-hoisting on October 21? I know some people will criticise even this. What is the significance of this day? This October 21, it will be 75 years of Subhas Chandra Bose's 'Azad Hind Government," Modi had said in a video interaction with BJP workers on Wednesday.
Bose had announced the formation of the country's first independent government - 'Azad Hind Government' - on October 21, 1943. The Prime Minister would also lay the foundation stone of a museum dedicated to the Azad Hind Fauj.
Azad Hind Fauj or the Indian National Army was formed by Indian nationalists in 1942 in Southeast Asia during World War II to secure Indian independence from British rule.
Here are some facts on Netaji and his Azad Hind Fauj: All Photos - Netaji Research Bureau (netaji.org)
1. Netaji in a car on his way to see Emperor Hirohito of Japan: 1943
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Subhas Chandra Bose was born on January 23, 1897 in Cuttack, then a part of Bengal Province’s Orissa Division. After finishing his school education, he briefly studied at Presidency College. He later studied philosophy from Scottish Church College, University of Calcutta and then went to study in Britain.
2. Netaji with INA officers AC Charrerji, MZ Kiani and Habibur Rahman: 1944
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Subhas Chandra Bose qualified the prestigious Indian Civil Services Examination (ICS). However, he soon quit as he did not want to work under the British government.
3. Netaji with Mahatma Gandhi and other Congress leaders: 1938
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He joined the Independence movement and became a member of the Congress party. He, however, had major ideological differences with leading figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru. A radical leader in Congress, he became the President of the party in 1938 but was ousted after differences with Gandhi and the party’s high command. He differed with Mahatma Gandhi’s methods of non-violence and wanted to wage war against our colonial rulers.
4. Netaji at Saigon Airport: 1945
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Netaji Subhas Chandra made his 'great escape' from his ancestral house in Kolkata in 1941 when he was under house arrest by the then British government. He made his way to Soviet Union and then to Germany.
5. Bose reviewing his troops in Singapore in 1943
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The Azad Hind Fauj was first established by Captain General Mohan Singh in Singapore in 1942 but was later disbanded. With the help of Indians living in Southeast Asia, Bose revived the INA and assumed charge of it.
6. Proclaiming Freedom: 1943
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On October 21, 1943, he assumed charge of the Supreme Command of the INA and announced proclaimation of the Azad Hind Government. A great orator, Netaji gave a clarion call of independence with his famous ‘Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom!’ speech. The speech was made in Burma in 1944 to members of the Indian National Army.
7. Netaji with Women's Regiment of the INA: 1943
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His army clashed with the British forces around Imphal and Kohima in 1944. Britain's struggle to repel a combined force of Netaji-led INA and Japan during World War II, around Imphal and Kohima in 1944 has been adjudged as the 'greatest ever battle involving British forces' in a contest run by the National Army Museum in London.
