Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti is celebrated every year on 23 January to commemorate the birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose, one of India's most prominent freedom fighters. The day is celebrated as 'Parakram Diwas' or Courage Day. This year marks the 127th Birth Anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. From establishing and leading the Indian National Army to forming alliances against the British during World War II, he was among the key figures to lay the foundation for the modern Indian state.
Subhas Chandra Bose was born on 23 January 1897 in Cuttack, Odisha. He was the ninth child of Janakinath Bose and Prabhavati Devi. Growing up, Subhas Chandra Bose was a bright student who completed his BA in Philosophy from the Presidency College in Calcutta (today known as Kolkata). His father also sent him to England to appear for the Civil Services Examination. He scored the highest marks in English and placed fourth overall.
It was in 1921 that he resigned from the Indian Civil Service and returned to India. His frequent run-ins with the authorities earned him notoriety as a rebel by the then-British government in India.
Netaji worked under the mentorship of prominent Congress leader Chittaranjan Das who, along with Motilal Nehru, left the Congress Party to form the Swaraj Party in 1922. He started a newspaper called Swaraj and even served as editor of the Forward, a newspaper started by Chittaranjan Das.
In 1923, Netaji was elected the President of the All India Youth Congress Committee and the Secretary of the Bengal State Congress. He briefly served as the mayor of Calcutta in 1930 as well.
In 1942, he formed the Indian National Army in Southeast Asia with the help of Japan, comprising of Indian soldiers the British Indian army captured in war. Netaji established a provisional government of Free India or Azad Hind in 1943 in Andaman and Nicobar, then captured by Japanese forces.
Subhas Chandra Bose is believed to have died in a plane that crashed shortly after take-off. Due to the mystery surrounding the circumstances of his death, the Government of India has since set up a number of committees to investigate the case.
Notably, the title 'Netaji', which means 'Revered Leader' in Hindi, was given to Subhas Chandra Bose by German and Indian officials at the Special Bureau of India in Berlin.
Now, on the occasion of Netaji's birth anniversary, here are some inspirational quotes by Subhas Chandra Bose:
- "Give me blood, and I shall give you freedom!"
- "Soldiers who always remain faithful to their nation, who are always prepared to sacrifice their lives, are invincible."
- "Freedom is not given, it is taken."
- "It is our duty to pay for our liberty with our own blood. The freedom that we shall win through our sacrifice and exertions, we shall be able to preserve with our own strength."
- "One individual may die for an idea, but that idea will, after his death, incarnate itself in a thousand lives."
