Book review
The national movement for independence in India threw up figures larger than life, who surrendered themseles to a cause bigger than anything they had ever known. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose stands out as a dynamic, restless force in an era which had chosen the path of Gandhi, the path of peace and non-violent non-co-operation. Bengal chose to voice its protest militantly and Subhas Chandra Bose was a true son of Bengal.India was awakening to its national identity and Netaji marshalled foreign aid and sympathy for his cause. His plans met with insurmountable obstacles, for he was pitted against circumstances quite beyond his control. His was a lost battle, perhaps even a lost life, but as events have proved, not a lost cause.Netaji's last Order of the Day to the Indian National Army puts it eloqunetly, 'The future generations of Indians who will be born, not as slaves but as free men, because of your colossal sacrifice, will bless your names and proudly proclaim to the world that you - their forefathers - who fought and lost in the battles in Manipur, Assam and Burma have paved the way to ultimate success and glory.'His stirring victory slogan 'Jai Hind' drew India into one united whole. To this day, on occasions of national importance, it reminds us that we are one poeple.