Last Updated: 27th December, 2022

23^rd January: The account of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s life has been recorded in the voice of his nephew’s spouse Krishna Bose, on the occasion of Netaji’s Birthday on 23^rd January and the 75th Victory Anniversary of INA on the Indian mainland.

A two-hour (2 hr) DVD pack was introduced and released in 21st January, Monday, in front of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s birth commemoration on 23^rd January, and in the 75th commemoration year of the first lifting of the Tricolor on the Indian terrain (by the Great INA (Indian National Army) Soldiers at Moirang, Manipur).

The recording has been enhanced with chronicled photos from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Research Bureau, of which Krishna is the Spokesperson.

In the above picture, (From left) Leonard Gordon, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s biographer; Krishna Bose, wife of Netaji’s nephew Sisir Bose; Masayuki Taga, consul-general of Japan in Calcutta; and Sugata Bose, historian and son of Krishna and Sisir Bose, at the launch of a DVD pack on Netaji’s life on 21st January, Monday. The DVD, recited by Krishna Bose, contains authentic photos from Netaji Research Bureau.

It takes up the story from his adolescence in Cuttack and closures with the tribunal of the INA Officers and India’s freedom.

“I spoke in simple English, keeping in mind an all-India audience and especially the younger generation which lacks a role model and does not know about the sacrifices Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose made for the country. He sacrificed life as an ICS officer by refusing to take a posting under the British government despite qualifying; he sacrificed political leadership and popularity in a bid to offer an alternative to Gandhiji’s vision; and he sacrificed family life by leaving his wife and newborn daughter in Germany when the war theater shifted to Asia,” Krishna Bose stated to Metro.

Krishna Bose finished with the Red Fort tribunal to close on a positive note. “Indians did not know about Netaji’s heroics till the trial took place. I remember how my parents used to shut the doors and windows when listening to his radio addresses. The British blundered by making the trial a high-profile one. It united Indians and stirred rebellion in the navy in Bombay and the army in Barrackpore. INA’s military defeat became a political victory as it hastened India’s independence.”

She impassioned upon Netaji’s demise, however expressed just the actualities. “He was brought with third-degree burns to the hospital and spoke four times through an interpreter, asking once for meju (Japanese for water), before he succumbed. I want his life to be celebrated, not add fodder to controversies.”

Indeed, even at 88, Krishna Bose did not require any reference. “She did not even have to consult notes for the recording. The only time she paused was to ask me the name of the INA officer, Cyril J. Stracey, whom Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose deputed to build the INA Memorial in Singapore,” points out Sumantra Bose, her younger son, who was present at the recording.

“When the proposal came from Bhavna Records I was reluctant,” she sweetly grinned. “I even told them that I could not visit a studio.” So a studio was set up at Netaji Bhavan. The recording happened in two phases.

“After I did it, I was surprised at how easily I could do it. The unedited version was sent to me while I was in London and I saw it with my elder son Sugata and sister-in-law Anita (Pfaff Basu, Netaji’s daughter) who had come to visit me. Even she was surprised at how I could pull it off.”

“We want to reach out to colleges, schools and universities and will release segments on YouTube and iTunes,” mentioned Biswa Roy Owner of Bhavna Records.