The Sun that Shines Supreme- Essays on Ideology and Revolutionary Activities of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

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The Asian Studies, the organ of the Netaji Institute for Asian Studies, Government of West Bengal, almost since its inception, is publishing articles on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, one of the greatest and most respected freedom fighters and political leaders of all time, who dedicated his entire life for the freedom of Mother India. He was born in such a respectable family of Bengal who never accepted the British rule in India. So since his young age his one and only one ambition was to serve India after freeing India from clutches of the foreign colonial rulers. Accordingly he prepared himself for a stiff battle, both political and armed, against the British Empire His many splendered life, particularly his philosophy, his policy and his revolutionary ideas and activities won the hearts of millions of Indians of India and abroad and reanimated them to take part in the freedom movement. This along with other forces from other corners compelled the British Government to quit India. Finally on the midnight of August 15, 1947 India won freedom.

For some years we were nursing a strong aspiration to compile all the articles on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, covering his ideology, philosophy, policy towards freedom movement and his activities, both civil and revolutionary, published in the Asian Studies We disclosed our plan to Professor Suranjan Das, Director, Netaji Institute for Asian Studies and sought his kind permission. He readily gave his consent We started working on this book with immediate effect so that the book could be released on January 23, 2010 when the Netaji Institute for Asian Studies will celebrate the birth anniversary of our revered Netaji.

This book included twenty articles written by scholars and academicians of eminence. Out of these articles all but three were published in different volumes of Asian Studies. We firmly believe that this book will give many materials of thought to those who are undertaking research on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, his life and activities and also those who are engaged is writing books and articles on Netaji, apart from the common readers. We shall consider our labour useful if this book is received by the people concerned.

On 26th January 1897, the young saffron clad Bengali Hindu monk arrived at Pamban, South India from Sri Lanka, where he had landed on 15th January after his triumphant tour of the New World, the United States of America-addressing the Assembly at the Parliament of Religions at Chicago, giving his famous discourse on Hinduism. His booming voice reverberated in the hall, addressing the audience present as "Sisters and Brothers of America!" It charmed all present. He told them about the lessons of the ancient Hindu religion." आत्पान विzि "Know Thyself He told them about the battle of Kurukshetra and the sermon of Krishna to the Third pandava Prince Arjuna, Do your duty, do not think of the result of what you will get in return. "मा मालेषु कदाचन" On the same year on 23rd January, 1897, was born at a two storied house at Oriyabazar, Cuttack to Bengali parents-the master an advocate, practicing in Orissa, a boy who in his life became the epitome of the lessons of this Swami. The monk was Vivekananda, and the boy Subhas Chandra, the un-comprising rebel fighter for India's independence. The Swami left home, having forsaken his name and identity of Narendranath Dutta, took refuge in guru Ramkrishna Paramhansa and formed the Ramkrishna Mission Order of the monks; who would dedicate themselves for the salvation of all mankind. Subhas, in quest of a guru, in his youth, roamed the hills of the Himalayas, seeking salvation for himself, was ordered to go back by Swami Brahmananda, ultimately joined the political movement against the British masters in his vision to free India. They, both the monk and the rebel, had a vision and a goal, and nothing would stop them in.

their chosen path to attain the end. On 19th February, 1897, when Vivekananda arrived at Calcutta having traveled in a boat from Madras, he landed at Budge-Budge. When the train entered the Sealdah platform, a tumultuous crowd awaited him and like before, the students released the horses from the carriage and pulled the cart to Ripon College, where he addressed the students and the assembled people. Swami Vivekananda's ideals and preaching ushered a new era of hope for the down-trodden mass of India. But unfortunately his mortal life had ended when Subhas was still a boy

In his autobiography The Indian Pilgrim Subhas had written, that a shiver went down his spine when he chanced upon a volume of Vivekananda's works. Subhas was born to a prosperous middle class Bengali family and being one of many brothers and sisters felt rather 'incongruous', His mother having a large family and an even more larger estate to manage, did not have enough leisure for her children. Subhas was brought up by Sarada, a young widow, who had been given shelter in the house. Sarada looked after him like her own child and Subhas opened his heart to her. However, Sarada, was much disappointed and moaned that in spite of being, such a talented boy he went totally wayward; as Sarada's idea of success was to become a judge or a magistrate!" Another occurrence also shaped Subhas's future life. It was his intimacy with his teacher Beni Madhav Das at School. Beni Madhav Das was an ardent nationalist and imbibed in his students, the spirit of freedom. One of his daughters was Bina Das, who tried unsuccessfully, though, to shoot Governor Jackson of Bengal during the Calcutta University Convocation ceremony. She was caught, tried and given life imprisonment. Beni Madhav Das also installed in Subhas an appreciation of things. beautiful and "universal love' for mankind.

From Vivekananda's teaching Subhas learnt that the goal of human life was devotion to duty and piety to human being which included love and dedication for the motherland. Chittaranjan Das had started an orphanage, 'Dakshin Kolkata Sevasram, of which Subhas was given charge. He had once said, "I can give up congress activities, but I shall never give up looking after the children of Sevasram. This sense of piety can be seen all his life. When Subhas became the Chief Executive Officer of the Calcutta Corporation, with Deshabandhu the Mayor, he had started night schools for school drop-outs, free medical clinic for slum dwellers, thus making the work of the municipality comparable to a welfare organization. He used to go out very early in the mornings or late at nights, to supervise the work of the scavengers. He was shattered when one of the work superintendents of Calcutta Corporation, Nafar Kundu, died inhailing the poisonous gas, when he had gone down to supervise the cleaning of underground sewages of the city. His letters to his mother and elder brother Sarat Chandra, his "Mejda", during his youth, shows the dilemma that he was being torn of and on to decide what was the correct path that he would have to take in his life. He left the comfort of his home to go to nearby villages to nurse cholera patients or to go begging from door to door with a handful of friends to feed the poor and the needy as a child in Cuttack.

Behind all this social service the thorn that was pricking him was the domination of an alien Raj Subhas tried to prepare himself for this larger task by preparing himself intellectually. He was always a studious and serious student. In one of his letters to a friend, Subhas writes that to be a man, one needs to prepare oneself with an intellectual ideal. He must learn to be (1) an embodiment of the past, (2) a product of the present and (3) a prophet for the future.