Seti^ parlayed on ttrtns of equality with nine Powers of the world tnctu4iing Japan, Germany uud ...

390 Pages·2012·10.27 MB·English

Seti^ parlayed on ttrtns of equality with nine Powers of the world tnctu4iing
Japan, Germany uud Italy after establishing the Provisional GovernMeni of
Free India OK 21st October, 194S, for the first time in Indian Historv since
British Rule began.
UNTO HIM A, NXaTNESS ^., .
THE STORY
HBiMt ^.U-9C
NETAJI SUBHAS CH>iwUKA BUSt
IN EAST ASIA
S. A. AYER PROCESSED
\ \ ^>
I
PRESENTED BY
J. {Ughotham Reddy
"BriiMlavan"
17J. Fateh Maidan North Rd;
H>derabad-300 004
THACKER & C6., LTD.
BOMBAY
. • ^ i . . - . >^ • j . T J ^ l ..
LUJ. •' —' • ' ''*
TO ALL
KNO^'N AND VNKNO^'K WARRJOFS
OF
INDIA'S INDEPENDENCE

CONTENTS
PREFACE Page
WHY THIS BOOK? ix
NETAJI AND I11YSEX.F . xxii
ROAD TO DELHI . xxviii
PART ONE
CHAP. I A DRE^V^I BECO3IES A REALITV 1
CHAP. II EPIC IN EAST ASL\ 5
CHAP. in HISTORIC RETREAT 1-i
CHAP. JV THE FORCED 3L\Rcn 25
CHAP. V ENCIKCLIXG GLOOM 48
CHAP. VI THE LAST FLIGHT 6e>
CHAP. VII THE SAD, SAD NEWS 7-t
CHAP. vni. Ix VANQUISHED JAPAN 93
CHAP. IX. FEARS AND TEARS 107
CHAP. X. THE CALL FROM THE RED FORT 118
CHAP. XI. UNTO HIM A WITN-ESS 132
PART TWO
CHAP. I. DAWN OF FREEDOM—^BEHIND THE
SCENES . . .. 153
CHAP. II LIFE WITH NETAJI—THE REAL ISLLS 1G7
CHAP. III CRUCL\L DAYS—A LEADER'S iviETTLE IS-i
CHAP. VI INDIA'S ^VIOIY OF LIBERATION . 210
CHAP. V STATESILVN AND DIPLOJIAT 215
PART THREE
CHAP. I NETAJI THE SAVIOUR . . • 23.3
CHAP. II FLASHES OF THE FIGHTER 240
CHAP. in DEMOCRAT OR DICTATOR ? 250
CHAP. TX GANDHI Ay;D SUBHAS 255
CHAP. V i\lART\-R AND i\LA.N OF GOD 263
CHAP. VI IS NETAJI ALIVE I 272
CHAP. ATI NETAJI'S ^MESSAGE TO FREE IN-DIA 27G
CHAP. vni NETAJI IN FREE INDIA . 282
EPILOGUE 295
APP. I A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH . 299
APP. n AZAD HIND GOVERN^^IENT PROCLAMATIO 303
Vill CONTENTS
Page
APP. III. RADIO APPEAL . . .. 307
APP. W. ORDER OF THE DAY . . . 3 17
APP. V. MESSAGE TO INDIANS AND BURMESE 319
APP. VI, SPECXAL ORDER OF THE DAY : IMALAYA 320
APP. VII. ^MESSAGE TO INDIANS IN EAST ASIA . 321
APP. vni. WORKING COMHITTEE RESOLUTIONS . 322
APP. IX. EXTRACTS : RED FORT TRIAL EVIDENCE 324
APP. X. RESOLUTIONS AT THE INA RALLY . 380
APP. XI. ^IEMORANDUM TO THE PRIME MINISTER 333
APP. xn. INA SYJIPATHISERS' MEETING . . 335
APP. XIII. NETAJI'S ]\LARRL\GE . . . 336
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
NETAJI SUBHAS CHANDRA ROSE . . . Fronlispiece
Facing Page
NETAJI ]\IEETS GEN'ERAL TOJO . . .. 3
THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNTMENT OF AZAD HIND . 9
THE NATIONAL FLAG FLIES ON DELHI'S HISTORIC FORT 136
INDIAN NATIONAL ARMY RALLY AT RED FORT . 137
NETAJI PAYS VISIT TO J\IITSURO TOYAMA . . 196
A. YELLAPPA, CHAIRMAN, INDIAN INDEPENDENCE
LEAGUE . . . . . .. 196
NETAJI AS SUPREME COMMANDER OF INA . . 210
NETAJI IN A JIOAIENT OF RELAXATION . . . 212
NETAJI MEETS JAPANESE FOREIGN 5II^^STER, Ms,.
IMAMORU SHIGEMITSU . . . .. 224
NETAJI IS GREETED BY ADIPADI DR. BA. IVIAW . 224
NETAJI ADDRESSES A PRESS CONFERENCE . . 233
THE AUTHOR, WITH SURVIVORS OF TAIHOKU AIR CRASH 273
NETAJI'S V/IFE AND CHILD . . .. 275
LEADERS AT THE FIRST INA CONVENTION AT DELHI . 280
CHIEF ^MINISTER KHER INAUGURATES INA RALLY . 280
PRELIMINARY JIEETING OF DELEGATES TO FOURTH
INA RALLY . . . . . . 2 81
P R E F A CE
MIIY THIS BOOK?
INDIA todaj' stands at the crossroads of her destiny.
• : She is no doubt free, but her freedom is threatened
both from inside her borders and from outside. The growing
conflict within the cotmtrj'^ beto'eenthe forces of conservatism
and reaction on the one hand and the forces of anarchy on
the other, threatens to destroy the newly-won freedom. A
more formidable menace to India's tivo-year-old Sovereign
Democratic Republic is the attempted division of the whole
world into two warring camps; each of these two camps
feels that it must destroy the other for the ultimate good of
humanit}-, and demands the loyalty of aU the unattached
nations ; and, both of these camps, each for its own reasons,
could and might destroy smaller countries audacious enough
to remain neutral if and when the Tliird World War comes.
India, under the leadership of Prime Jlinister Jawaharlal
Nehru, has chosen the path of peace and is bent on averting
war. But, what will happen to her if she fails to bring
about peace bet^veen the two rival World Powers ? Not
only her neutrality, but her freedom itself would be at stake
in the event of another world war. It is in this sense that
India todaj' stands at the crossroads of her destiny.'
But ten years ago, also, India faced a similar crisis in
her historj'. The only diflerence is this: Now the question
is how to keep her freedom ? Ten years ago, the question
was how to win her freedom ? One of her most illustrious
sons faced the crisis ten years ago with the ovenvhelming
support of nearly three million Indians in East Asia, won a
number of battles though he lost the war, and scored an
overall moral victorj- over the mightj- British Empire. He
waged an armed war for India's Independence to supplement
the heroic, unarmed and unequal war of the people inside
X PREFACE
India under the leadership of Mahalma Gandhi. Netaji
Subhas Chandra Bose formed the first Government of Free
India outside India's borders in October 1943 and led an
Indian Army of Liberation against the alien rulers entrenched
in Indian soil. What might have happened if Netaji and
his Indian National Army had not fought the British, could
be left to the speculation of future historians. Suffice it to
say that Netaji did wage India's Second War of
Independence, and hastened India's Freedom by at least
ten years.
The crisis was over in August 1947. The British rulers
quit India, though allegiance to the British King continued
tiU January 1950, when India proclaimed herself a Sovereign
Democratic RepubUc with a Constitution of her own making.
I was also a humble participant in the Indian Freedom
Movement led by Netaji in East Asia in the years 1943 to
1945 ; in fact, I had the exceptional good forlime to be very
near him during the historic twenty-four months when
Netaji toiled day and night to open and fight a Second
Front against the British across India's eastern border.
Being an eye-witness to the manner in which Netaji
faced that crisis in India's history, I have ventured to write
this book in the firm belief that it might be of some small
service to the India of today—standing once again at the
crossroads of her Destiny, as she did ten years ago.
Netaji's life and achievements have a message for the
Indians of today and for the generations of Indians yet
luibom. More of this later.
I flew to Bangkok in November 1940, fifteen months
after the outbreak of World War II, as Reuter's Special
Correspondent, to report on the gathering war clouds in East
Asia; Japan came into the World W"ar on December 8,
1941: I tried to escape to India but failed; Rash Behari
Bose, the veteran Indian Revolutionary and poHtical exile
in Japan, launched the Indian Independence Movement and
made Bangkok his Headquarters in June 1942 ; M. Sivaram,
the only Indian newspaper editor in Thailand for ten long
PREFACE XI
years, threw up everything and enlisted under Rasli Behari's
banner and dragged me also along with him : the Hcail-
quarters were shifted to Singapore in JIarch 1943, thirteen
months after the British surrender of Singapore to the
Japanese ; Netaji Suohas Ch.andra Bose arrived in Singapore
in July 1943 and assumed the leadership of the Independence
Movement; the exquisite grace with which Rash Behari
Bose handed over the leadership of the historic movement to
Subhas Chandra Bose will remain one of the unforgettable
chapters in the history of India's struggle for Freedom.
EASH BEHARI BOSE
Whatever the nierits or demerits of the way Rash
Behari handled the Japanese, even his worst enemy had no
reason to question his burning love for India till the last
breath of his life; his only ambition till the last wa^ to lay
his tired bones on the soil of liberated India: and, in spite
of his frail health, the old man toiled to realise this dream,
in the face of heaw odds, gloom and many a crisis.
The old man rose to his highest stature in the eyes of
all Indians in East Asia at that momentous meeting of {i%-e
thousand representative Indians at the Cathay Cinema Hall
(Singapore) on the 4th of July 1943, when he handed over the
leadership of the INA and the IIL to Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose in a sporting and magnanimous speech. It was also
Rash Behari's last public utterance. True to his word, he
then effaced himself in favour of Netaji and was content to
remain in the background and to follow Netaji as a- true
soldier.
With natural ease, he rose high above petty-minded
men, pettj- thoughts, petty jealousies, pettj- intrigues, and
petty back-bitings.
When I first met him at a hotel in Bangkok in May
1942, I did so under peculiar circumstances. I v.eat to
him with an amount of prejudice^against him, and full of
doubts and suspicions about his real intentions. He oSernd
me a seat across the table. I sat down. He looked straight
XII PREFACE
into my eyes and, with a disarming smile, came straight to
the point.
" Well, Mr. Ayer, I am told you have been Reuters
Correspondent here tiU now. Now I want you to be our
Correspondent." (He meant, of coiu>se, that I should become
a publicity man for the Indian Independence Movement).
I failed to realise at that moment the great import of that
great man's words. In my small mind, there was confusion
—some little satisfaction that I was going to do some
important work, and a great deal of doubt and fear about
what it all really meant and where it would land me. But,
thank God, this %\Tetched state of my mind did not last
mere than a few days. I met him almost every day and
discussed the day's news with him and sought Ms guidance
on the line to adopt for the Independence League Broadcasts
addressed to India. I successively became a fascinated
listener, an ardent admirer and an unto-the-last loyal man of
Rash Behari Bose. I owe a debt of gratitude to my friend,
comrade and colleague in the Propaganda IMinistry of the
Pro^dsional Government of Azad Hind, M. Sivaram, who has
already established a reputation for himself in post-war
India as an expert on Far Eastern Affairs. Sivaram coaxed,
cajoled and literally dragged me to Rash Behari much
against iny will. Not even a hundred Sivarams could have
dragged me away /rom Rash Behari after that first
meeting. Rash Behari had a specially warm corner in
his heart for Sivaram because, unlike me, Sivaram threw
himself heart and soul into the movement from the moment
Rash Behari reached Bangkok. And the old man being
very human first and last, responded to this gallant gestnre
of Sivaram with a love and aifeciion which would bring out
tears even in the eyes of brutes. And Sivaram, for his part,
todpy carries the sacred memory of Sensai in the warmest
comer of his heart, and sustains himself with it night and
dav, wherever he mav be.