Today is the 64th Death Anniversary of the revolutionary Rash Behari Bose who played a crucial role in Gadar Revolution. He was the founder of Indian National Army popularly known as the Azad Hind Fauz.
Rash Behari Bose was born on May 25, 1886, in village Subaldaha, Bardhaman district, in the province of Bengal. His mother passed away in 1889 when Rash Behari was still a baby. He was brought up thereafter by his maternal aunt Vama Sundari.
Rash Behari Bose was initially educated at Subaldaha under the supervision of his grandfather, Kalicharan, and later in Dupleix College at Chandernagore. At the time Chandernagore was under French rule thus, Rash Behari was influenced by both British and French culture. The French Revolution of 1789 had a deep impact on Rash Behari. Rash Behari Bose was not a very attentive student. He was a day-dreamer, his mind preoccupied with revolutionary ideas. He was more interested in his physical prowess than his studies.
Rash Behari Bose was the person who started his carrier with the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. He learned Japanese and became a journalist and writer. He took part in many cultural activities and wrote many books in Japanese, explaining India’s viewpoints. It was due to Rash Behari’s efforts that a conference was help in Tokyo from March 28 to 30, 1942, for discussion on political issues.
He also got hold of a well-known revolutionary novel called “Ananda Math (Abbey of Bliss)” written by noted Bengali novelist, poet and thinker, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Rash Behari also read the famous Bengali poet, Navin Sen’s, Plasir Yudha, a collection of patriotic poems. In course of time he read other revolutionary books. He read nationalistic speeches by orator and revolutionary, Surendranath Banerjea, and Swami Vivekananda. In Chandernagore, his teacher Charu Chand, a man of radical ideas, inspired Rash Behari along revolutionary lines.
Rash did not get a chance to complete college because his uncle got him a job at Fort William. From there he transferred to the Government press in Shimla on his father’s wish. He was appointed the copy-holder in the press and was able to master English and typewriting. After some time he moved to the Pasteur Institute in Kasauli. Rash Behari was not happy with these jobs.
He went to Dehra Dun as a guardian tutor in the house of Pramantha Nath Tagore. He got a clerical post at the Dehra Dun Forest Research Institute where through hard work, Rash Behari became a head-clerk.
The partition of Bengal in 1905 and the events that followed in its wake drew Rash Behari Bose headlong into revolutionary activities. Rash Behari concluded that the Government would not yield without revolutionary action on the part of the patriots. He started gearing up his revolutionary activities under the guidance of Jatin Banerjee, an eminent revolutionary leader. He suddenly came in to prominence after 23rd December 1912 when bombs were thrown at Lord Hardinge, the then Viceroy of India.
On 21st January 1945 Rash Bihari Bose died in Tokyo before the end of World War II. The Japanese Government honoured him with the highest title given to a foreigner – The Second Order of Merit of the Rising Sun. But the honour done by the Emperor of Japan on his demise is more touching. The Imperial coach was sent to carry the dead body of the Indian veteran revolutionary.
