Parakram Diwas 2023: Know history, importance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti or Netaji Jayanti is a national event celebrated in India on January 23 to mark the birth of prominent Indian freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Netaji Jayanti is officially known as Parakram Diwas. Netaji was born on January 23, 1897, in Cuttack, Odisha. 

History of Parakram Diwas:
For the first time, Netaji Jayanti was celebrated as Parakram Divas in 2021 on the occasion of his 124th birthday.  In West Bengal, Jharkhand, Tripura, and Assam, it is a recognised holiday. On this day, the Indian government honours Netaji. He was a great student and a true Indian nationalist. At the Scottish Church College, part of the University of Calcutta, Netaji Bose earned a B.A. in philosophy. 

Later, in 1919, he travelled to England to complete the Indian Civil Service (I.C.S. ), finishing fourth in his class with the highest English score. He didn't want to work for the British government, therefore in 1921 he resigned and went back to India.

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Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, who later served as his political mentor, encouraged Netaji to join the Indian National Congress (I.N.C.) when he returned to India. 

He regarded Swami Vivekananda as his spiritual guru and was greatly affected by his ideas. Bose was elected president of the All India Youth Congress in 1923 and later served as president of the Congress in 1938 and 1939.

According to reports, on August 18, 1945, a plane crash near Tohuku, Japanese Taiwan, caused Netaji to suffer third-degree burns. Although the authorities announced his death in 2017, there are still a number of rumours about his whereabouts.

Importance of Parakram Diwas:
The purpose of the holiday is to recall and honour Netaji's tremendous devotion to the country and his unwavering spirit. He was crucial to the cause for Indian independence. Netaji was a prominent nationalist, politician, and freedom fighter. This day has been designated to encourage Indians, especially young people, to aspire to his strength, perseverance, selflessness, and patriotic fervour despite oppression. He oversaw the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fouj). He was the founder-head of the Azad Hind Government.