His Majesty’s Opponent: Subhas Chandra Bose and India’s Struggle against Empire

THIS IS A BIOGRAPHY OF THE REAL LIBERATOR OF INDIA SUBHAS CHANDRA BOSE BY SUGATA BOSE.SINCE THE EARLY TWENTIES BOSE FOUGHT UNCOMPROMISINGLY AGAINST BRITISH COLONIALISM,HE WAS A MILITANT OF THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS; FROM THE THIRTIES HE HAD SOCIALISTLEANINGS HOWEVER UNLIKE THE SECULARIST AND PRO-SOVIET NEHRU BOSE BELIEVED IN AMULTIRELIGIOUS STATE IN WHICH THE THREE MAJOR RELIGIONS HINDUISM, ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITYCOEXISTED IN HARMONY, HIS ROLE MODELS WERE DE VALERA'S IRELAND AND ATTATURK'S TURKEY.WHEN WORLD WAR TWO BROKE OUT BOSE DID NOT SUPPORT BRITAIN FOR THAT REASON HE WAS JAILED,THE BOOK NARRATED HIS EPIC ESCAPE FROM INDIA TO AFGHANISTAN ACROSS THE SOVIET UNION (STILLALLIED WITH GERMANY BECAUSE OF THE MOLOTOV-RIBBENTROP PACT), FINALLY HE ARRIVED IN EUROPEAND MET WITH THE FUHRER AND THE DUCE IN ORDER TO OBTAIN SUPPORT FOR THE FIGHT AGAINSTBRITISH COLONIALISM, BOTH OF THEM WERE LUKEWARM WITH BOSE, HOWEVER HE GOT ALONG WITHRIBBENTROP AS A MATTER OF FACT AN INDIAN LEGION WAS RAISED IN GERMANY TO FIGHT AGAINSTBRITAIN; BOSE HOWEVER KNEW THAT THE REAL FIGHT WAS IN ASIA SO HE DEPARTED IN A GERMAN SUBMARINEIN WHICH HE WAS WELL TREATED, AFTER CROSSING THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE IT MADE A RENDEZVOUSWITH A JAPANESE SUBMARINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INDIAN OCEAN AND FINALLY HE ARRIVED IN MALAYAWHERE HE RAISED THE INDIAN NATIONAL ARMY (INA) THAT FOUGHT ALONSIDE THE JAPANESE ARMY AGAINSTBRITISH IMPERIALISM ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA WITH THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF LIBERATE INDIA.HE WAS RESPECTED BY THE JAPANESE WHO TREATED HIM AS AN EQUAL UNLIKE THE CONDESCENDINGAND ARROGANT WAYS OF THE BRITISH.ON NOVEMBER 1943 BOSE ASSISTED TO A PAN-ASIAN MEETING IN TOKIO PRESIDED BY THE PRIME MINISTER HIDEKITOJO IN ORDER TO DELINEATE THE NEW ORDER IN ASIA KNOWN AS THE GREAT EAST ASIAN CO-PROSPERITY SPHEREWHICH WAS AN ALTERNATIVE TO BOTH THE PREDATORY CAPITALISM OF THE WEST AND THE OPPRESIVEAND TOTALITARIAN COMMUNISM OF THE SOVIET UNION.BOSE AND THE INA FOUGHT VALIANTLY AND CORAGEOUSLY UNTIL THE VERY END OF THE WAR, THE BATTLESOF IMPHAL AND KOHIMA ARE EXAMPLES OF THE DEDICATION AND RESILIANCE OF BOTH THE INA AND THEJAPANESE. BOSE DIED IN A PLANE CRASH IN SAIGON IN AUGUST 1945 ALMOST AT THE END OF THE WAR, TWOYEARS LATER IN 1947 INDIA BECAME INDEPENDENT.TODAY BOSE IS REVERED IN INDIA AS A REAL PATRIOT AND LIBERATOR ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM FROMTHE HINDUIST RIGHT TO THE SOCIALIST LEFT.BUT BOSE IS NOT ONLY ABOUT INDIA BUT A SHINING GUIDING LIGHT FOR ALL THE OPPRESED NATIONS LIKE CUBAWHICH FROM 1959 IS UNDER A TOTALITARIAN COMMUNIST TYRANNY THE MOST OPPRESIVE REGIME THAT THEAMERICAN CONTINENT (NORTH, CENTRAL AND SOUTH) HAS EVER HAD, ALL WHAT WE NEED IS A LEADER LIKE BOSE AND ANALLY LIKE TOJO.

Using it for academic UIL

Subhas Chandra Bose is revered in India, but virtually unknown in the U.S. At least, my friends and I had never heard of him! He was an important figure in the effort to gain independence from Britain. I encourage those interested in understanding India to read this book!

This needs to be read by the generations so that they do not forget that British imperialism was a nasty game. Kind of like our Wall Street friends, a sham.

Brilliant biography. Required reading for any body interested in knowing what really happened to a very noble patriot. I highly recommend it. Author has done a wonderful service to plug a major gap in Indian struggle for independency.

Good attempt by the author who is interested in pleasing the ruling party to extract sops. Thanks Dr Bose for exemplifying that we can forget the hardships of our ancestors if the ruling party is not interested.

Impressive overview of the life and thought process of one of the greatest and the most inspirational leader of Indian independence struggle!

A well written biography of a great man.Give me Blood i shall give you freedom -- Subash Chandra Bose