This is a short story of Subhas Chandra's long attachment to 'municipal administration a story not conventionally read or understood. Subhas Chandra was a versatile genius. Whatever aspect of life came under his many-sided vision, be it spiritualism. nationalism, relief for the poor and the destitute, military campaigns, civic administration and so on, he had brought to bear on whatever he handled a specialised and in-depth professional attention. Under very special circumstances, he came to 'head' the civic administration of a large and complex city Corporation-the Corporation of Calcutta which had traditionally been the bastion of imperial power. Subhas had taken up the challenge in all seriousness and gave a new direction to municipal administration. The present study marks a humble attempt to present this relatively untold story of Subhas's civic management capability under trying conditions when city administration had to contend on one hand with the demands of national freedom struggle, and on another with the need to redirect civic administration to the cause of the poor and the marginalized.
Admittedly, due to time and resource constraints, there are many imperfections in this short study. It is expected, however, that this research will kindle interest among researchers to take up in future more elaborate studies of Subhas Chandra's serious efforts to reform municipal administration within the framework of a constricting imperial regime.
I must thank Professor Suranjan Das, Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University and Director of the Netaji Institute for Asian Studies - an internationally acknowledged historian - who not only provided the seed money for research but also prodded me and constantly encouraged me throughout the conduct of the study. The other inspiration came from Professor Apurba Kumar Mukhopadhayaya along with a veiled 'threat' that the research should be presented in a seminar to be organised at an appropriate moment in future. I look forward to such an opportunity in the coming days.
"For extending ready help in getting access to the rich collection of the Netaji Research Bureau, I am particularly grateful to Professor Sugata Bose, the illustrious grandnephew of Subhas Chandra, an internationally known historian-at present, Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University."
For any limitations and shortcomings the author has alone to take the blame.
Subhas Chandra Bose, popularly called 'Netaji', has been, along with Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru and many others, one of the leading figures of our epic national freedom movement. By contrast, his more mundane yet spectacular achievements in managing the biggest municipal body of the country the Calcutta Corporation - are much less publicized. The purpose of the present research is to unravel the picture of another Subhas who had boldly accepted the challenge of managing the affairs of a civic body which had historically been the bastion of imperial power and had served mainly the interests of the city's rich and the influential.
The Dual Struggle.
During British rule, many of our national leaders had been engaged in dual struggle the epic freedom struggle against imperialism and the constructive struggle to bring about improvement in the locality level life of the people at large. This sentiment was clearly expressed by Jawaharlal Nehru who was holding the dual responsibility of Secretary of the Provincial Congress Committee and Chairman of Allahabad Municipality. As he wrote to all District, Town and Tehsil Congress Committees and members of the PCC in April 1923, "They (people) have not voted for our little self, but for the Congress....It will perhaps be desirable for Congressmen connected with municipalities to meet together and formulate a joint consistent policy in regard to local demands. Thus, the "little self" of attending to "local demands' had to be kept in mind alongside serving the bigger issue of attainment of 'swaraj'.
Municipal institutions in India owe their origin to nineteenth century British efforts to introduce a modicum of civic services in the urban areas with marginal local people's association to justify some revenue mobilization in support of the local services. The three Presidency towns of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras were later endowed with the Municipal Corporation type of civic administrative system characterized by a high degree of bureaucratic domination - a government-appointed Commissioner being the chief municipal executive. Calcutta's municipal system was obviously influenced by the city's socio-economic environment, particularly by the imperial and commercial interests of the city's European population. City administration could not, however, remain immune from the larger issues of rising Indian demands for participation in governance and the rumblings of national freedom struggle.
Freedom Struggle and Civic Administration
Indian constitutional development, especially the Montagu-Chelmsford Reform of 1918, opened up opportunities for the Indians to get more and more involved in actual problems of public administration. Our national leaders had seized these opportunities to acquaint themselves with the realities of administration, even if to a limited extent. As Ashish Bose, the noted urban demographer points out: "Many of our national leaders were associated with municipal work during the period of British rule in India. Notable among them were Pherozeshah Mehta, Surendranath Banerjea, Lajpat Rai. G.K.Gokhale, Vallabhbhai Patel, C.R.Das, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Subhas Chandra Bose. Their speeches, writings and actual work reflect their great desire for urban development with political freedom and social justice, a concern for the poor and a spirit of dedication to municipal work." To cite an instance in this context, Jawaharlal Nehru, on his election as Chairman of Allahabad Municipal Board, issued a circular letter to U.P. Congressmen on municipal work. As he made it clear, "the main purpose of our going to the municipalities was to help in the national struggle. We did not desire to wreck the municipalities or to play the part of obstructionists.
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