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Home of Indic Scholarship
Articles on Subhas Chandra Bose
She goes by the handle @sarkar_swati on twitter and koo.
He goes by the handle @maidros78 on twitter.
He goes by the handle @dikgaj on twitter.
The Hindu Subhas
In this article we explore and analyse Subhas Chandra Bose’s positions on issues, his thought process, ideas and sources of his inspirations, his religious and spiritual engagements and commitments, and actions relevant to answer the question: was Bose a “leader of the Hindu”?
The Myths, the Distortions and the Biases
In this article, we examine the common myths around Bose, using primary sources, including Bose’s own writings. We refute three important myths concerning Bose. The first myth we dispel is that Bose was a Communist. The second myth we expose is that Bose was an atheist. Finally, we refute the allegation that Bose indulged in rampant ethnic/religious discrimination, as part of his politics. The article was written as a correction of the rampant myths on internet regarding Bose.
The Why of Myths on Subhas Chandra Bose: Poor Scholarship, Bias and Politicisation of History
In the second part of the article on the myths concerning Bose, we examine the reasons for the myths around Bose and expose the shoddy scholarship they are constructed on. Further, we examine the politicisation of history and the damage it has wrought, both online and off it, in terms of genuine scholarship.
The Hindu Bengali Support for Subhas Bose
In the third article, we have examined the Hindu Bengali support for Subhas Bose, who constituted the spearhead of the attack against the British in fight for freedom. We show that the Hindu Bengalis remained steadfast in their support to Bose in his quest for freedom. We show that his support came from the ranke and file of the Bengal Congress, from the Hindu Bengali intellectuals and his finances from the Bengali Hindu businessmen.
The Organic Connection between Subhas Chandra Bose and the Hindu Bengali Masses
In the fourth article on the subject, we have examined the organic connection between the Bengali population and Subhas Bose. Bose deeply loved Bengal and was in turn, loved by the Bengalis. He embodied certain virtues that the Bengalis prized and as such, he was loved by them. Similarly, he loved Bengal for what it was and missed it terribly when he lived outside Bengal. Bengali suffering was always in his mind, and he always strained to do everything to alleviate the distress in Bengal. Finally, we have examined the claims made about Bose by certain authors purporting to investigate his disappearance and see if they hold water.
Of Surjo Sens and Netra Sens – the Anatomy of an Intellectual Collusion with the British Invaders
In the fifth of the articles on this subject, we create class identifiers for the resistors (Surjo Sen) and the colluders (Netra Sen) and examine how the Netra Sens have been continuing the tradition of intellectual collusion by continuing propaganda against the locals, on behalf of the invaders. One particular icon of the economic right wing elites, Nirad Chaudhuri, has been examined for his sexual innuendoes against and his objectification of the resisting Indian women fighting the British invaders, his rape fantasies involving Subhas Bose, one of the foremost leaders of the Indian resistance, and his continued colonial propaganda which embarrassed even the scholars of the Allied side, to the extent that they were compelled to criticise him. Further, we trace the continuing propaganda by the admirers of Nirad against the Hindu Bengalis, and observe that the tradition of Netra Sen remains solidly ensconced in the Indian economic right wing.
We examine the views of Subhas Bose and Nehru towards communism and nationalism. In particular, we compare their views on nationalism and internationalism, reasons for liberating India, what constituted the freedom struggle, and the goals of the freedom struggle, and class war, comparing the communist positions on these. We show that on each of the above issues, Nehru’s views were a derivative of communism, or were very closely allied to it, while Subhas Bose’s views were either opposed or disdainful of the positions taken by the communists.
We examine the wellspring of Subhas Bose’s faith for his freedom struggle. We show that his Indian nationalism had deep spiritual and civilizational roots ensconced in Hindu thoughts. He ascribed Hindu spirituality to the natural landmarks of India, We find Bose deeply attached to the environment of Bengal, which was dearest to his heart. He deified India, following the footsteps of Swami Vivekananda, Bankim Chandra and Aurobindo Ghose. He was a product of Bengal Renaissance in that sense. As advocated by Swami Vivekananda, the fountainhead of his inspiration was Indic civilization and history. He held that his contemporary India was a direct continuation of took her ancient and sublime past in which he took enormous pride.
He rejected European claims of civilizing India, of bestowing nationhood on India, and was not bound by the Eurocentric interpretation of India’s history. He was convinced that the political unity of India stemmed directly from her ancient civilizational past. He also traced to ancient India the roots of the cherished political and social concepts of his time, namely 1) democracy, 2) statecraft, 3) revolutionary movements 4) humanism and equity 5) communal ownership of property, 6) socialism, 7) municipal development. He was passionate about the history of India and delved deep into the history of his home-province, Bengal. This concept of Indic nationalism was shared by an overwhelming majority of the revolutionary freedom fighters, in particular while they were revolutionaries. Finally, although he was rooted in the civilizational past of India, he did not believe that those times ought to be recreated. He did not want India to live entirely in her history and wanted to adopt and integrate useful modern concepts as well.
Two Revolutionaries Rashbehari and Subhas- A Meeting of Minds
We examine the similarity in mindset between the two Boses – Rashbehari & Subhas. We observe how they had similar ideas about what constituted freedom, & how India needed to be liberated from the British. We also contrast their ideas of freedom against the idea of freedom and methods of liberation advocated by Gandhi.
Gandhi and Nehru from the Vantage Point of Two Revolutionaries, Rashbehari and Subhas
We contrast the attitudes of Nehru and Gandhi on one side and Rashbehari and Subhas on the other, towards the war. We also examine how the two Boses were ready to do whatever it took to win freedom for India. Finally, we show how Subhas was ready to confront the strongmen of the Congress even during the war, if necessary.
How Rashbehari and Subhas Repeatedly Outsmarted the British
We show how the two Boses repeatedly deceived the British intelligence and effected grand escapes. We show how they were willing to take huge risks, & play hide-and-seek games (both mentally and physically) with the British intelligence to get what they wanted to achieve Indian freedom.
Subhas Bose’s association with Indian revolutionaries starting long before he lead the INA. He was seeking to operate like Sinn Fein of Ireland who provided political cover to the militant wing of freedom struggle.