Following Netaji Subash Chandra Bose’s failure to come back to India, after the capture of I.N.A. personnel at the end of World War II, there have been various stories surrounding his disapperance—like he died in an air crash or that he escaped to Soviet Union so as to make preparations for further fight against the British Government.
In 1946 Indian National Army and its officers who had been arrested by British government like Captain Sehgal, Dhillon and Shah Nawaj were held guilty by the Military Tribunal at a Trial held in Red Fort. But such was the massive support for I.N.A. that the British government struck a deal with Nehru that though they will be released, they will not be taken back in the army – a compromise by Nehru for which nation never forgave him. All then current leaders including Nehru and Jinnah were eclipsed by the popularity of Bose.
I still remember that when after the I.N.A. trial three of them came to Lahore (Punjab in 1946; I was in Law College) and went along with friends to the Railway Station, there was a mass of people, Hindu Muslims, Sikhs, never seen before shouting only two slogans. Sehgal, Shah Nawaz Dhillon Zindabad, I.N.A. Zindabad, with the portraits of Subash Chandra Bose all over.
People refused to believe that Netaji had died in air crash, even when his close companions so testified, and even affirmed by G.D. Khosla Commission. Some later Enquiry Committees also failed to come up with any definite conclusion. Since Congress governments did not release all the files, wildest speculations continued to be made.
But after Modi government made public for inspection all the remaining files there is nothing found to rebut the settled position of death of Netaji. But still story of Netaji being alive even in 1970 was published recently in national daily suggesting that he was alive and living of his own choice in a Siberian town (USSR) in exile because Netaji was afraid that he would be declared a war criminal in India (emphasis added). This extract is said to be from the affidavit filed before Mukerjee Commission in 2000 by one Sindkar, a journalist based in Moscow who is said to have obtained this information from one time communist leader of India then Nikhil Chattopadhya, settled in Moscow. How disgusting and maligning that any one can impute such cowardice to one of the greatest patriot and freedom fighter of India who if alive in 1947 undoubtedly would have been the first Prime Minister of India.
Another ridiculous suggestion that Gumnam Babu who settled in U.P. was in fact Netaji is an insult to the meanest intelligence. That Netaji should be in India under an assumed name because he was afraid for being prosecuted by those in power at that time and who were not even born politically when Subash was at its height is a cheap, defamatory joke.
U.P. Government has made it worse by appointing a Judicial Commission to enquire into this abhorrent suggestion. U.P. Government would be well advised, in its own interest to wind up this commission to prevent any further maligning of the Netaji Subash Chandra Bose.
The recent story by a news agency P.T.I about a classified 60-year-old Japenees government document stating unequivocally that Netaji Subash Chandra Bose died in air crash in Taiwan on 18 August 1945 and died at Taipei the same year should finally conclude the matter. Let Netaji’s death, sad as it was, be not made a subject of gutter gossip and fanciful unbelievable stories.
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‘Dhyan Chand should have been given the Bharat Ratna decades ago’
Some time back there was a protest at Jantar Mantar by Hockey lovers emanding Bharat Ratna for Hocky wizard Dhyan Chand. The protest was led by Dilip Tirkey, a hockey statwart and now member of Rajya Sabha. Though I am personally against the Union governments presumptuousness in the policy of giving various awards in fields of sports, arts and other specialties, because I believe that these awards should be awarded by the peers and co-professionals to the recipients because they alone can know the worth, having themselves been in the field of arts, sports or other specialties.
To me the sense of presumptuousness of any government of the day purporting to give awards in various excellencies when none in the government departments concerned may know what is “left out” or “right in” Hockey or Googly bowling in Cricket or “Good lob” in Tennis or the novel “A tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens in literature, is amazing self projection in purporting to give Padma Awards for excellencies in those subjects.
But since all the government have continued with this practice and also have given Bharat Ratna to Sachin Tendulkar (of course he fully deserves it), by the same standards Dhyan Chand should have been given the Bharat Ratna decades ago.
Let me straight away dispel the suggestion that I am presumptuous to talk as a specialist of game of Hockey. I am writing about Dhyan Chand because by sheer good luck I have myself seen Dhyan Chand’s wizardry in hockey when he was at its best.
My family belongs to Lahore and I was hardly 14 years when our Olympic hockey team came back to India after 1936 Olympics victory. There was a great welcome to be given to the team in Punjab and they were to play an exhibition match with Punjab Province Hockey team at university grounds in Lahore. I was a young boy of 14 years, but as I had interest in sports, I went to watch the match.
I can still vividly recall Dhyan Chand’s exquisite dribbling the ball in such a fascinating manner that it looked as it the ball was gummed to his Hockey and he could twist it in any matter he likes. It was also treat to watch the beautiful passes that were exchanged with his team mates Dara (at right in) and with Zafar (left out). But let me be equally proud of my Punjabi Team which played so well that the match ended in a draw. I feel Pakistan and Bangladesh can be equally proud of Olympic victory as it was a victory of India then which included all the three present countries, Dara and Zafar were from area now part of Pakistan. The Olympic victory by Dhyan Chand and his colleagues of India was a strong slap on the false superiorly of Europeans, especially England.
(The authour is a former chief justice of the Delhi High Court)