Jaygovind Sahu

Recently I was appearing a quiz on Netaji Subhash Bose. I am a big fan of him. He is one of those characters, those heroes, in the fight for freedom of our country who chose to stand tall in his ideology and stand firm against the English empire. From what I know about the hero, I feel that he is one of those human beings who knew how to convert imaginations, dreams and thoughts into actions. He was one of those freedom fighters who thought that their first duty was to get their motherland the freedom it deserves. After the ten-question quiz I felt like I should google a bit about him; I have always been very fascinated about this master of disguise, the mysterious hero, the courageous fighter. Then I came across this interview of his daughter Anita Bose-Pfaff where she answers the question – “Why did Mahatma Gandhi not support him?”

In some ways they were of (the same) opinion. In other ways they were not. In the 1930s Gandhi clearly worked against him. Very often Gandhi is portrayed as a saint, which he was not at all. In my opinion he was a very shrewd politician. He was a lawyer who really knew how to work the system and manipulate people in a positive sense. He certainly made my father resign as Congress president. My father respected him very highly in spite of that and was always anxious to hear Gandhi’s reaction to what he did and what he said. It was my father who called Gandhi ‘Father of the Nation.’ The INA slogan ‘Jai Hind’ is still the greeting used in the Indian Army today; my father picked the Indian national anthem. It was first played in Hamburg at a gathering. So there are still a few symbolic remains from his activities in India which people tend to forget. Gandhi and my father were of the same opinion regarding the partitioning of the country. Both of them were dead set against it and in some context my father said, ‘The British will try to partition the country.’ He and Gandhi were very much against this.

Complete interview : http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/may/11inter.htm

Another great hero, Bhagat Singh, was just my age (it really surprises me) when he was hung. The way I look into history or the way it has been projected to my mind, I think there was a very powerful man who could have saved Bhagat Singh’s precious life; but the so called powerful man chose to be silent. I didn’t know much about Bhagat Singh until I saw a bollywood movie ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’. Every time I watch that movie I feel a spark inside me to wake up and realize what I should do for my country; proud for being born in a land of such brave and dedicated patriots; but at the same time I feel shattered and heart-broken realising at some point that their physical existence was hampered by sheer dirty politics and hunger for power and popularity. But, like he (Bhagat Singh) said they can kill body, not thoughts. And that is how he can still inspire young souls like us.

My point is, “Is Bhagat Singh remembered the same way Gandhiji is?” No, I don’t mean there should not be a national holiday on 28 September (Bhagat Singh’s birthday) or on 23 March; but the young generation should be reminded of the great men, the ‘Real’ heroes like him. They should understand what their philosophy was; that they were just not another bunch hot or cold-blooded violent young minds. They were, in fact, the greatest visionaries the land has seen. Bhagat Singh had imagined a democratic republic in India. Netaji Subhash Bose had warned the country in the 1930s that the country should soon act against the population explosion and the need for education for all; he was involved in the issues for the development of the country when the other so called leaders were busy in confirming their seats.

I admit that I don’t always think about my country. I doubt whether anyone can make a Subhash Bose or Bhagat Singh out of himself. But I believe everyone should try to be a good citizen. Now that every morning we hear of next big scam and corruption, we can imagine ourselves ‘in’ the system itself and try to change it. We can at least believe that pure devotion, love and patriotism is more powerful than dirty politics; that hunger for the development of the country is greater than the hunger for power and health. For most of us, the primary aim is to earn money and be someone respectable in the society but without making any political statements, what I feel is we should at least pay respect to these real and brave heroes of our land by putting our faith on what they believed, what they have lived.