The INA Pledge

It is very interesting to note that the heroic life and times of Bose are intricately linked with Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda, both of whom inspired him to become a patriot of patriots’. Readers and history-lovers are aware of differences Bose had with the Mahatma, at political and deeper intellectual levels. Yet he remained a true nationalist born of the Indian National Congress, committed to a united India. His undying love for the Motherland was unconditional

- RAJU MANSUKHANI

January is truly a special month. It is dotted with anniversaries that have the power to make every Indian alternatively feel proud, tearful, sad, and honoured. A quick look reveals: 11th January as the death anniversary of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent, the night after he signed a historic pact with Pakistan in 1966; - 12th January is a high point being the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, celebrated as National Youth Day; 17th January is the death anniversary of Jyoti Basu, the longest-serving chief minister of West Bengal and independent India; 26th January fills us with pride as the Republic Day of the nation and 28th January belongs to Lala Lajpat Rai of Punjab. It is the birth anniversary of the man hailed as the 'Lion of Punjab'.

30th January is filled with sorrow, grief as the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi is observed with fasting and prayers across the world.

January 23 occupies its own special niche. The Ministry of Culture and Government of India in 2021 unfolded the anniversary celebrations of Subhas Chandra Bose, leading up to the commemoration of 125 years of his birth in 2022. It is easy to label Bose as a charismatic freedom-fighter, an integral part of the pantheon of great Indian leaders.

Every textbook, every historian and chronicler has found unique terms to describe him. In a letter of May 1939, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore hailed him as the 'Deshanayak', the leader of the country. He recognized Bose as the leader who was capable of delivering Bengal and India from the ignominy of slavery and raise India in stature in front of the world by addressing all her problems. He quoted the Gita, writing "the Gita says that the protector of good appears time and again.