Orissa Review * August - 2004 Azad Hind Fauj and Provisional Government : A Saga of Netaji Prof. Jagannath Mohanty "I have said that today is the proudest day of fact one of his greatest speeches which my life. For enslaved people, there can be no overwhelmed the entire contingents of Indian greater pride, no higher honour, than to be the National Army (INA) gathered there under the first soldier in the army of liberation. But this scorching tropical sun of Singapore. There was honour carries with it a corresponding a rally of 13,000 men drawn from the people responsibility and I am deeply of South-East Asian countries. conscious of it. I assure you Then Netaji toured in Thailand, that I shall be with you in Malay, Burma, Indo-China and darkness and in sunshine, in some other countries and sorrows and in joy, in suffering inspired the civilians to join the and in victory. For the present, army and mobilised public I can offer you nothing except opinion for recruitment of hunger, thirst, privation, forced soldiers, augmenting resources marches and deaths. But if you and establishing new branches follow me in life and in death of Indian National Army. He - as I am confident you will - I promised the people that he shall lead you to victory and would open the second war of freedom. It does not matter Independence and set up a who among us will live to see provisional Government of India free. It is enough that Free India under whose banner India shall be free and that we shall give our three million Indians of South-East Asia would all to make her free. May God now bless our fight the enemy. He made a clarion call to all army and grant us victory in the coming fight. Indians - Karo sab nichhabar bano sab fakir Inquilab Zindabad ! Azad Hind Zindabad !"1 - sacrifice all and be penniless mendicants for This was the concluding remarks of the sake of the Mother land. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on the 5th July, Under blazing sun and heavy rains 1943 at Singapore after taking over the charge Netajee used to deliver his fiery speeches and of President of Indian Independence League to appeal the masses to make donations, join from Rash Behari Bose on July 4, the previous the INA and to give arms whatever they had. day. The speech he delivered that day was in After the speech, his garlands were put to 1 Orissa Review * August - 2004 auction, each garland fetching such a fabulous Dr. Ba Maw became the head of amounts as ten or twenty thousand dollars at Independent Burma and declared war against that time and this money was earmarked as the Britain and the USA. Netajee required his help fund of the Provisional Governmnet. People in providing bases of military operation against also vied with one another to hand over the occupying force in India and getting seat donations to Netajee personally. 2 for his provisional Government of Free India Netajee favourably influenced the then under contemplation in Rangoon so as to Governments of Germany and Japan and be close to his military target. But Japanese enlisted their support for the fight for freedom historians have written that Dr. Ba Maw was of India. During World War II Burma was unwilling to oblige him on two grounds : captured by Japan and British armies were (i) there was a feeling of animosity among the defeated and Indian National Army marched Burmese towards the Indians because the latter upto Imphal of Manipur through dense forests were occupying a predominant position in and hills, incessant rains and inclement weather. Burma everywhere and (ii) the Azad Hind The patriotic slogan "Delhi Chalo" (March to Movement which was being backed by affluent Delhi) reverberated the vast areas once Indians in South-East Asia might influence the occupied by the British. economy of Burma greatly. But Ba Maw mentioned in his memoirs, inter alia, "I openly The tide of the Second World War turned welcomed him (Netaji); and so on January 6, against Japan and Allies tried to recover 1944 and the days following. Netaji Bose and Burma. Tokyo felt the need to appease the his army arrived in Burma and remained there Burmese people in order that they might help till the final defeat of the Japanese in 1945". 4 in the country's defence against the Allied invasion. On August 1, 1943 power was It was, however, the fact that Netaji, after transferred to Burmese hands and Independence months of negotiations with Japanese support though doubted to be shortlived, was celebrated could get the concessions with the assurance in Burma. As the Guest of Honour of the that the Provisional Government or its army ceremony, Netajee praised Japan profusely would never interfere in the national affairs of and eulogised Burmese and Indian people Burma. He then moved to Bangkok on August living there. He said, "The Independence of 4 to meet the Thais Prime Minister and Burma in this momentous crisis has a two-fold succeeded to secure his consent to the passing significance for us. It shows in the first place, of the INA troops to Burma through Thailand. what a nation can achieve if it knows how to Then he ran to Saigon for meeting the Japanese seize an opportunity which history has offered. army officers to discuss some strategic military Secondly, just as the conquest of India supplied issues. Netaji then returned to Singapore on the British with jumping off the ground for their August 14 and spoke at a giant rally of Indians attack on Burma in the nineteenth century, about the "Quit India" movement and renamed similarly, the emancipation of Burma has Indian National Army as Azad Hind Fauj or supplied the Indian Independence Movement the Army of Free India. The number of soldiers in East Asia with a spring board for its attack rose to 30,000 and arranged to recruit 20,000 on Britain's Army of occupation in India during more with Japanese support, particularly from the twentieth Century ....."3 among the British Army who were taken as 2 Orissa Review * August - 2004 prisoners of war by the Japanese. Netaji also charged atmosphere. Amidst cheers, Netaji raised a women's regiment as a part of the Azad read out the oath, "in the name of God, I take Hind Fauj" who will wield the sword as the this sacred Oath that to Liberate India and 38 brave Rani of Jhansi wielded in India's First crores of my countrymen, I, Subhas Chandra War of Independence in 1857." Bose, will continue the sacred war of freedom Netaji declared the formation of the till the last breath of my life ....." His voice Provisional Government of Azad Hind and the failed and he wiped his eyes with his names of the Cabinet members who signed the handkerchief. He tried to overcome his proclamation. Bose was the Head of the State, emotions and with difficulty resumed in a Prime Minister and Minister for War, Foreign steady voice "I shall always remain a servant Affairs and Supreme Commander of the INA, of India and look after the welfare of 38 crores others were Capt. Miss Lakshmi, Women's of Indian brothers and sisters. This shall be Organisation, S.A. Ayer, Publicity and for me my highest duty. Even after winning Propaganda, Lt. Col. A.C. Chatterjee, Finance, freedom I will always be prepared to shed Lt. Col. Aziz Ahmed, Lt. Col. NS Bhagat, Lt. the last drop of my blood for the preservation 6 Col. Shah Nawaz and so on. The proclamation of India's freedom". Then other members of of the provisional Government of Azad Hind the Provisional Government took holy oath to 1943 provided fillip to the freedom struggle liberate India and to remain absolutely faithful and it claimed the allegiance of every Indian to their leader Netaji. Actually, these martyrs irrespective of caste or creed and all were to remained committed to this oath till the end of be treated as equals with equal rights in all their life and their immortal life will remain respects. It ended with a stirring appeal. an eternal source of inspiration and enlightenment to all. "In the name of God, in the name of bygone generations who have welded the Indian References : people into one nation and in the name of the 1. Saito and Hayashida in A Beacon Across Asia, dead heroes who have bequeathed to us a NRB pp.177-80. tradition of heroism and self-sacrifice - we call 2. Pandit, HN, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, upon the Indian people to rally round our p.186. banner and strike for India's Freedom. We call 3. Maw Ba, Break Through in Burma, p.312. upon them to launch the final struggle against 4. Ibid p.352. the British and all their allies in Indian and to 5. Pandit, HN. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose prosecute that struggle with valour and Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, 1988, p.331. perseverance and with full faith in Final 6. Ibid pp.203-204. Victory - until the enemy is expelled from Indian soil and the Indian people are once again a Free Nation."5 Then the ceremony of taking the oath of Prof. Jagannath Mohanty lives at 2935, Gouri Nagar, Allegiance took place in an emotionally Bhubaneswar - 7510032. 3 Orissa Review * August - 2004 Harijan Upliftment Movement in Orissa During National Freedom Struggle Dr. Janmejay Choudhury The 'Fast Unto Death' of Mahatma Gandhi in Movement began to fritter away, most of the protest against 'Communal Award of August leaders including Gopabandhu Choudhury, 1932' was one of the most significant attempts Rama Devi and many Congress leaders of his career.