Subhash Chandra Bose Biography for UPSC

Subhash Chandra Bose was a prominent figure of the Indian Freedom Movement and a contemporary of Mahatma Gandhi. Popularly known as ‘Netaji’, he led the revolutionary movement against British authority in India.

A towering personality, stout nationalist, and great visionary, his struggle for freedom paved the path for Indian Independence. His virtues of honesty, integrity and exceptional commitment to accomplishing the vision of his motherland are ingrained in the popular perception of countrymen as the primary reasons for India’s freedom.

This topic is important for Modern Indian History for UPSC. Hasten up your preparation for UPSC 2023 with BYJU’s, and go through Modern History Notes for UPSC for more articles.

In this article, let us understand the life of Subhash Chandra Bose, his relationship with Mahatma Gandhi, his contributions to the Indian Independence Movement, and the factors that led to the formation of the Indian National Army.

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Early Life of Subhash Chandra Bose

• Subhash Chandra Bose was born on 23rd January 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa. His father, Janakinath Bose, was a lawyer by profession, and his mother, Prabhabati, belonged to the family of Dutts of Hatkhola. Bose was the ninth child of his parents.
• He completed his primary education at Protestant European School, where students followed the Western Education system. He was introduced to the Bible, Latin, good manners, British geography, and British history.No Indian languages were taught as a part of the curriculum. He continued his studies at Ravenshaw Collegiate School in Cuttack, where Bengali and Sanskrit were taught. His dedication and focus on studies earned him a second position in the matriculation exam at Calcutta University.
• After learning Philosophy from the Presidency College of Calcutta in 1913, he passed his Bachelor of Arts with honours in Philosophy from Scottish Church College at the University of Calcutta. The ideas of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda on the “doctrine of selfless living” and service to humanity influenced him to the core.
• After completing higher education at Cambridge University, he passed the Covenant Civil Services Examination in August 1920. But, the nationalist turbulence in India prompted him to resign from Civil Services in April 1921. He returned to India in June 1921, leaving behind his dream to join the Indian Civil Services(ICS).

Contribution to Indian Nationalist Movement:

• Subhash Chandra Bose was introduced to Nationalist politics by ‘Deshbandhu’, Chittaranjan Das. Bose was inclined to socialism and revolutionism, rather than the pacifistic methodologies advocated by Mahatma Gandhi. He gave a new impetus to the Non-Cooperation movement led by Mahatma Gandhi, and Gandhi placed him at the forefront of Indian Nationalism in Bengal.

Bengal:

• He initially concentrated on the activities in Bengal under the guidance of Chittaranjan Das, the leader of the Swaraj Party. For Subhash Chandra Bose, Chittaranjan Das was a political mentor, and his ideas on aggressive nationalism were more flexible and oriented with his view of revolutionary politics and liberal ideologies. He worked as a commandant of Congress Volunteers in Bengal by educating and preparing them for the National Movement. In 1921, he was arrested and jailed due to his revolutionary activities.
• After being released, he started the newspaper ‘Swaraj’ and worked for the publicity of the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee. Bose was elected the President of the All India Youth Congress and the Secretary of the Bengal State Congress in 1923. Meanwhile, he worked as an editor of the newspaper “Forward”, founded by Das. He joined a number of protest marches along with leaders like Maghfoor Ahmad Ajazi.
• He was elected the chief executive officer of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation. Based on the speculations regarding his connection with the secret revolutionary movements, he was again arrested in 1925 and sent to Mandalay prison in Burma, where he caught Tuberculosis.
• Subhash Chandra Bose was released in 1927 and returned to Bengal in an attempt to strengthen the infirm foundations of the Bengal Congress after the death of Chittaranjan Das. He was elected the president of the Bengal Congress and organised an annual meeting of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta in 1928. As a part of volunteering, he took up the role of General Officer Commanding (GOC) in Congress.
• His ideological congruity with Jawaharlal Nehru in the left-wing faction was quite evident in their actions. Subhash Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru became the general secretaries of the Indian National Congress. After being arrested for Civil Disobedience, he became the Mayor of Calcutta in 1930. He was arrested and released multiple times for his association with the revolutionary group, Bengal Volunteers.
• Around mid – 1930, Subhash Chandra Bose visited Europe, where he met Indian students, politicians, and Benito Mussolini. He wrote the first part of the book,’ Indian Struggle, 1920 – 1934′, covering India’s Independence movement, trying to convince the Britishers of the real cause of the struggle. However, the book got banned in European colonies for fear of unrest.
• In 1938, Subhash Chandra Bose, under his presidency advocated a reorganisation of the Indian National Congress with the two-fold objective of

1. Winning Political freedom
2. Setting up a socialist regime

• He proclaimed ‘Swaraj’ or self-governance and the use of force against the British. He indeed accepted the nomination as Congress President.

Subhash Chandra Bose and Mahatma Gandhi

• By 1939, Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose were at extreme poles in their ideologies and strategies for achieving their common aim of Independence. Boss was highly critical of Mahatma Gandhi’s conservative economics and path of non-violence.
• Subhash Chandra Bose proclaimed, “You give me blood, and I will give you freedom”, which was contradictory to Mahatma Gandhi’s formula of dovish resistance. Gandhi opposed the Presidency of Bose, which eventually resulted in a rift within the party, and a cleft between Nehru and Bose.
• Subhash Chandra Bose was elected the president of the Indian National Congress in 1938. He defeated a favoured candidate of Gandhi, Pattabhi Sitaramayya, with the support of Muthuramalingam Thevar, an adherent of Subhash Chandra Bose.
• He formed the National Planning Committee and framed a policy on industrialisation to make India self-sufficient and strong. This policy faced vehement opposition from Mahatma Gandhi, who favoured cottage industries and indigenous products.

Forward Bloc

• Due to the political variances, Subhash Chandra Bose resigned from the post of President of INC and founded the Forward Bloc on May 3, 1939, in Bengal. This left-wing nationalist political party was a faction within the Congress party that aimed to consolidate the radical elements and garner support in Bengal. Though formed on 3rd May, it was adopted in the All India Session in Mumbai on June 22, 1939.
• The official committee of the Forward Bloc included Subhash Chandra Bose as president, Sardul Singh Kavishar as the vice president, Lal Shankarlal as the general secretary, Pandit B Tripathi, and Khurshed Nariman as secretaries. U.Muthuramalingam Thevar was also a member of the Forward Bloc.
• Subhash Chandra Bose organised mass protests in Calcutta. He was imprisoned in July 1940 and started fasting until death.He escaped from his residence in Calcutta and fled to Germany via Kabul and Moscow. In Germany, he worked with the Special Bureau for India, which managed the broadcasting services of Azad Hind Radio.
• He formed an Indian legion with 4500 Indian prisoners of war, who fought for the British and were captured by Axis powers. In 1942, after a meeting with Hitler, Subhash Chandra Bose realised their true intentions and understood that the German army was not in a position to aid India to drive out the Britishers. Thus, he left for Japan in February 1943.
• After collaboration with the Axis powers in Germany, he came to Southeast Asia. He took over the leadership of the Indian Independence Movement in East Asia and trained troops with the aid of Japan.

Indian National Army (INA)

• The birth of the Indian National Army (INA) was initiated by the head of a Japanese Intelligence Unit and Mohan Singh, a former British Indian Army captain. The Indian National Army was formed in December 1941. The Japanese handed over the Indian prisoners of war to Mohan Singh to strengthen INA. A prominent Indian revolutionary leader, and organiser of the Ghadar Mutiny, Rash Behari Bose, founded the Indian Independence League with the support of Indians in Southeast Asian countries.
• By 1942, there were 40,000 men in the Indian National Army. However, INA disbanded in December 1942, out of disagreements between the Japanese General and Mohan Singh. Mohan Singh believed that INA was used for Japanese propaganda. He was taken into custody, and INA troops dispersed.
• On October 21, 1943, Subhash Chandra Bose revived the “Indian National Army” or” Azad Hind Fauj” in Singapore. He formed the Provisional government in Singapore for India and became the Supreme Commander of the Indian National Army. The authority of the organisation was handed over to him by Rash Behari Bose.
• With the strong backing of Japan and the expatriate Indian population, soldiers, and allies, he organised a massive army to fight against the British. His huge acceptance among non-native Indians was beneficial in increasing the membership of INA and receiving financial assistance for training the recruits. The women’s unit of INA was called the ‘Rani of Jhansi’ regiment, headed by captain Lakshmi Swaminathan.
• INA re-energised the nationalist movement following the failure of the Quit India Movement in 1942. It was symbolic of unity and valour among Indians.
• In January 1944, the headquarters of INA was shifted to Rangoon. On November 6, 1943, Bose persuaded the Japanese government to give back the Indian Territories controlled by them including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They were named Shahid Dweep and Swaraj Dweep.INA was also a part of Operation U-Go, a Japanese offensive against the British forces in the North-East regions, including Naga hills and Manipur. Though INA contributed to this operation, it did not thrive in later assignments.
• Subhash Chandra Bose talked to the Indian community through radio and urged them to participate in India’s struggle for Independence. He was the first person to address Mahatma Gandhi as the “Father of the Nation”, through a speech broadcast on Azad Hind radio in 1944.
• An INA battalion under Shah Nawaz became a part of the Japanese army for the Imphal campaign on the Indo-Burma front. However, INA received a setback with the defeat of Japanese forces in Kohima and Imphal.
• The surrender of Japan in the Second World War on August 15, 1945, paved the way for the denouement of the INA. An Indian flag was raised in Kohima in March 1944.
• The Japanese collapse put an end to the Indian National Army.

Read and understand the NCERT Notes on the role played by Subhash Chandra Bose in Indian National Movement from the linked article.

Final Years

• On 18th August 1945, Subhash Chandra Bose died in a plane crash in Formosa, currently located in Taiwan. There were a lot of speculations and conspiracy theories associated with his death.
• After his death, INA was disbanded completely.

Quotes and slogans

An impressive articulator, Subhash Chandra Bose delivered several speeches that invigorated the spirit of Indians. Some of them are:

• “Give me blood and I will give you freedom” – Bose delivered this speech to the members of the Indian National Army in Burma in 1944.
• Dilli Chalo (“On to Delhi”) – Subhash Chandra Bose gave this slogan to motivate the Indian National Army on 25th July 1943.
• Jai Hind (“Glory to India!” ) – This slogan by Bose was later adopted by the Government of India and the Indian Armed Forces.
• “Ittehad, Etemad, Qurbani” – This slogan by Bose stands for “Unity, Agreement, Sacrifice” in Urdu.

Frequently Asked Questions about Subhash Chandra Bose

Why is Subhash Chandra Bose famous?

Subhash Chandra Bose is known for his vital role in the Indian National Movement. A proponent of revolutionary nationalism and socialist principles, he resuscitated the Indian National Army in 1943.

Who inspired Subhash Chandra Bose?

Subhash Chandra Bose got influenced by the teachings of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda.

Who revived the Indian National Army?

Rash Behari Bose handed over the Indian National Army to Subhash Chandra Bose in 1943. Also referred to as ‘Azad Hind Fauj’, it was formed by Indian Nationalists to secure Independence from the British.Organised with the assistance of the Japanese, INA found a new life and purpose under Subhash Chanda Bose.

Why did Subhash Chandra Bose find ‘Forward Bloc’?

On May 3, 1939, Subhash Chandra Bose founded the All India Forward Bloc, a separate bloc within Congress, aligned to leftist authoritarianism and socialist ideologies.

Which is the most famous speech of Subhash Chandra Bose?

The most famous speech of Subhash Chandra Bose is “Give me blood, and I will give you freedom!” Bose delivered the speech to the Indian National Army in Burma.

How was Subhash Chandra Bose related to Mahatma Gandhi?

Even Though Bose and Mahatma Gandhi worked for a common cause, their ideologies and methods of resistance were entirely different. Bose emphasised revolutionary movements and aggressiveness, whereas Gandhi advocated the path of non-violence and pacifism.

The birthday of Subhash Chandra Bose is celebrated on which day in India?

The birthday of Subhash Chandra Bose is celebrated as the ‘Parakram Diwas’ in India. It is celebrated on January 23rd.

Aspirants can go through History Syllabus for UPSC Prelims from the linked article.

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