Bose : The Path to Freedom

[Continued from the last article....]

In the mid-1930s, Subhas Chandra Bose embarked on a transformative journey to Europe, where he engaged with key political figures, including Mussolini in Italy, as well as other influential leaders in Vienna, Prague, and Budapest. This exposure to European political ideologies profoundly impacted his views on India’s struggle for independence. Upon his return to Calcutta in 1938, tensions began to surface between him and Mahatma Gandhi. Subhas, having been elected President of the Indian National Congress that same year, began advocating for a more militant approach to expelling the British from India, a stance that directly conflicted with Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence.

This ideological divide led to a bitter rift within the Congress, which further strained Subhas’s relationship with Jawaharlal Nehru. In 1939, despite Gandhi’s support for Pattabhi Sitaramayya as Congress President, Subhas was re-elected to the position, a victory that Gandhi described as a personal defeat, saying “the defeat was more mine than his". Gandhi and his loyalists soon orchestrated political maneuverings that forced Subhas to resign from the presidency. In the wake of his resignation, Subhas formed the All India Forward Bloc, a political party that quickly gained mass support, particularly in Bengal, as he sought to galvanize a more radical movement for Indian independence.

In 1940, Subhas’s political activism once again led to his imprisonment after he protested Lord Linlithgow’s declaration of war on behalf of India during World War II. After enduring a seven-day hunger strike, he was released but placed under strict house arrest, under constant surveillance by the British authorities. Frustrated by his lack of freedom, Subhas, determined to continue his struggle for independence, grew a beard and began planning his escape. In the early hours of January 1941, he, disguised as a Pathan, and with the help of his nephew, made a daring escape from Calcutta. He traveled through Peshawar, Kabul, Moscow, and eventually reached Berlin, where he sought support for his cause. For some time, the British authorities remained unaware of his flight, but when they eventually discovered he had fled, it sparked a political uproar, turning the British into a laughing stock.

Subhas Chandra Bose’s daring escape right under the British's noses marked only the beginning of a new chapter in his relentless pursuit of India’s freedom. As he made his way across continents, from Berlin to Tokyo, his resolve grew stronger, and his vision of a free India became even more audacious. With every step, Bose drew closer to forging alliances with Axis powers, determined to rally the support necessary to confront the British Empire head-on. As history continues to debate his legacy, one question remains: could Bose have altered the course of India’s independence struggle, or was his vision too far ahead of its time? The answer, perhaps, lies in the untold story of what came next.

PART 3 coming soon ;)