In my school days, there was a particular theme which was
very popular with teachers whenever they had to consider putting an essay in
the question paper. That theme was “Life of a Great Man”. Predictably though,
Gandhi and Nehru dominated essay books like they do to our roads and stadiums. My
choice was a bit different and this was not because of the Bong Connection but sheer
admiration for the great life of the great man we fondly remember as Netaji.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose lived a great life but that greatness was achieved
by way of his unmatched love for the motherland, total commitment to the cause
of independence, incredible ability to chart out an untrodden path to freedom
and of course, fearless attitude and tremendous resource mobilisation skills to
do the unthinkable. “Ekla Cholo Re….” is a song perhaps that best epitomises
the journey of the man to begin with but the fact that the man was able to
raise an army of motivated Hindustanis underlines the strength of his character
and conviction. The typical structure of school book essays allowed for a small
conclusive paragraph and which seemed to be enough given the mystery
surrounding the death of Netaji. It was always an “unsolved mystery” and
unfortunately the print has not changed over the years.
This leads us to the question-“Why the mystery cannot be
solved?” This is a wrong question to ask in the final week of 2014 for almost
seventy years has passed by. We are not talking of Bermuda Triangle that
science has struggled to unravel the mystery associated with it. In Netaji’s
case, therefore, the appropriate question to ask is-“Why is there no intention
to solve the mystery?” Sadly, apart from Netaji’s family, friends and a handful
of activists, no one else in this country of billions gives a damn. The sense
that I get after following the various articles, blogs and news items over the
years is that no Government actually pursued the matter wholeheartedly. A few
never bothered while the others set the ball rolling only to ensure that the
ball never gathered momentum. It is sickening really when one hears that probe committee
members often found their wings clipped in their pursuit of truth. There was not
even sufficient elbow room given to follow the leads and on quite a few occasions
it seems that the Government stopped the probe team from making important trips
abroad. In a country where the politicians enjoy free trips to zoos abroad, a
matter as trifle as a freedom fighter’s disappearance rightly gets zero
importance. SHAME INDIA!!!
Conspiracy theories are abound. Some are also convinced that
the evil who stone-walled the homecoming of the hero was another national
figure. These theorists apparently base their judgement on the basis of facts
and have been crying at the top of their voice that concealing of facts is a
great disservice to the nation and to the man who sacrificed a great deal for
the freedom of this land. Whatever the truth is….we Indians must be aware of
it. The BJP Government is saying that foreign relations would go sour if the
truth is revealed. So that means that the mystery is not actually a mystery but
it is a cover-up by successive Governments. This is where the matter lends itself
to more controversy. If India proudly counts itself as an independent nation and
is having the liberty to choose its partners globally then much of it is owing
to the relentless struggles of sons like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. How can a
simple truth ruin a country’s relation?? And if it does then how does it
matter??? Revealing of facts will only impact public opinion because the excuse given by the Government implies that they already know the truth. Times have changed and a misdeed almost three quarters of century back would not possibly turn a foreign relation on its head. And that is why it smells fishy here. The evil has to be inside the home for the Government to be afraid of public opinion. I am not suggesting anything here and my assumption is based on what I have been reading. Nevertheless, the Nation deserves to know the fate of one of its greatest sons.
Somewhere I read a story which underlines the impact of
Netaji’s efforts on British establishment and their subsequent exit from India.
Mr.Clement Atlee, former British Prime Minister, when asked about the reason behind the sudden decision to pack bags and quit
India in 1947, he said that Gandhi’s Quit India Movement was not the prime reason but
it was because of Netaji’s incredible fight that the British Empire got jittery
and hence India earned its freedom. I
sometimes wonder what Netaji could have done to Independent India. He could
have been the first Prime Minister. As a man with vision, he could have given a
sense of discipline and direction to the youth of the country. As a man who
raised an Army from scratch, Indian Defence System would have been much
stronger then and perhaps the war of 1962 would have ended differently. As a
man who had excellent negotiating skills, India’s Foreign Policy would perhaps
have been something marvellous. He could have been one of the earliest
recipients of Bharat Ratna. Oh hang on, Bharat Ratna has become a joke and camp
system is at play for sure. Only thing missing as of now is the sponsor’s name
next to the award. So, Bharat Ratna with all it’s political luster would have
been an insult to the spirit of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
Not many in this country are aware of “Prabhat Pheri” nor
many of us give a damn to the fate of this story but atleast we can wish for
the truth to come out in the New Year so that we can stop talking about the
DEATH OF A GREAT MAN and instead celebrate the LIFE OF A GREAT MAN. Atleast, this figures in my wishlist for 2015. Happy New Year!!!
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