Bose Revisited

“The Rediscovery of Netajis: A Review Essay on the Life of Subhas Chandra Bose” by Sumit K Majumdar (EPW, 19 November 2016) is a wonderful review article. It enriched my knowledge about a great hero, a great patriot, and a selfless leader of undivided India. I do agree with the author that “Netaji was a far-sighted visionary and a strategic leader, who could orchestrate an action agenda to free India, articulate a framework for free India’s prosperity, and put together the administrative processes to deliver benefits.” It may be mentioned here that Clement Richard Attlee, who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and the leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955, agreed that Netaji was the toughest challenge the British Empire faced. Several defence and intelligence experts too agreed.

In 1956, Attlee had come to India and stayed in Calcutta (now Kolkata) as a guest of the then governor. P B Chakraborty was at that time Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court and acting governor of West Bengal. He asked Attlee, why, since Gandhi’s Quit India movement had tapered off quite some time ago and in 1947 no such new compelling situation had arisen that would necessitate a hasty British departure, did they have to leave.