Opinion Netaji’ Subhas Chandra Bose’s ‘parakram’ must guide Bharat’s path to progress

When conventional paths appeared inadequate to achieve Independence, Netaji charted his own course, transforming the freedom struggle into an international movement through the Indian National Army. He asserted, “There is no power on earth that can deprive us of our birthright of liberty any longer.” This belief found expression in the INA.

Netaji’s clarion call —“Give me blood, and I will give you freedom”— resonated deeply across regions and communities of India, especially the people of the southern regions, the Tamils in particular. The deep emotional and ideological bond between Netaji and the Tamil people became one of the strongest pillars of support for the INA and the freedom movement. Netaji’s popularity also resonated powerfully with Tamil communities in Malaya, Burma and Singapore.

From the early 1920s, Netaji recognised the political importance of the Madras Presidency in the Indian national movement. As a Congress organiser and national leader, he engaged closely with political workers in the region. Netaji’s visits to Madras (now Chennai) and other centres of the presidency were marked by large public meetings and enthusiastic receptions, particularly by students and the politically conscious youth.

On September 3, 1939, Netaji arrived at Madras Central Station, where he was received by supporters, including lawyer and freedom fighter S Srinivasa Iyengar and Pasumpon U Muthuramalinga Thevar. Taken in an open jeep to “The Peak”, the residence of civil engineer S P Ayyaswamy Mudaliar, he was followed by a sea of supporters. That evening, he addressed a massive public meeting at Marina Beach.

During this visit, Pasumpon U Muthuramalinga Thevar, a close associate of Netaji, emerged as a key leader of the Forward Bloc in Tamil Nadu. Often remembered as the “Bose of the South”, he played a significant role in mobilising Tamil support for the INA. He also founded a Tamil weekly magazine, Netaji.

Among the notable recruits was Ramu Thevar, originally from Ramnad in the Madras Presidency. Inspired by Netaji at an early age, he joined the INA and was later entrusted with intelligence duties in Penang. Arrested while attempting to reach India, he was imprisoned in Alipore Jail in Calcutta (now Kolkata). His letters to his mother speak of the immense hardship he had to undergo as well as his unwavering patriotism. Unaware of his execution in Madras Jail in 1944, his mother continued writing to him until 1948. Thevar was only 18 when he made the supreme sacrifice for the nation. The Tamil recruits for the INA also came from outside the country. Among them was Lieutenant R Madhavan Pillai. It was heartening to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitate him at the Parakram Diwas celebrations in 2024.

In a stirring address at the Padang in Singapore in 1943, Netaji urged women to join the struggle, declaring that this must be a truly revolutionary army. His words deeply moved Tamil Indian women in Malaya, many of whom had endured hardship on rubber plantations. Despite having never seen India, nearly a thousand of them volunteered for the Rani of Jhansi Regiment.

While the bravery of Lakshmi Swaminathan (Captain Lakshmi Sahgal) is widely recognised, the contributions of Janaky Thevar, Anjalai Ponnusamy and Rasammah Bhupalan are equally inspiring. Janaky Thevar, only 14 when she first heard Netaji speak, donated her diamond earring to the INA and later rose to a senior leadership position in the Rani of Jhansi Regiment. Saraswathi Rajamani, often regarded as one of India’s youngest women intelligence operatives, joined the INA at 16 and served with distinction. In keeping with Netaji’s egalitarian vision, women trained and served alongside men, and caste divisions were rejected.

Alongside these leaders stood countless unnamed Tamil soldiers and labourers from Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Madurai, Sivaganga, Tiruchirappalli and Cuddalore, who answered Netaji’s call from Malaya, Burma and Singapore. Deeply moved by this overwhelming support, Netaji is believed to have remarked that if he were to be born again, he would wish to be born a Tamilian.

Netaji believed that political independence was only the beginning; the greater task was to build a strong, united and self-reliant India that ensured dignity and justice for all. His special bond with the Tamil people stands as a powerful reminder that India’s freedom was forged through the shared sacrifice of regions, communities and countless unsung heroes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently emphasised the need to shed the colonial mindset, honour India’s values and freedom fighters, and advance towards true freedom of the mind and spirit. This vision is reflected in the government’s observance of Netaji’s birth anniversary as Parakram Diwas, the renaming of historic islands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in his honour, and the installation of his statue at Kartavya Path.

As Netaji once observed, “One individual may die for an idea, but that idea will, after his death, incarnate itself in a thousand lives.” His ideals continue to guide Bharat as the nation moves forward with a collective resolve to translate parakram into progress.

The writer is Vice President of India