Azad Hind Formation Anniversary: Interesting Facts about Azad Hind Fauj and Subhas Chandra Bose

Every year on 21 October, the anniversary of the formation of Azad Hind Government is celebrated across the country. On this day, India’s first independent provisional government named Azad Hind Government was announced. First established in 1942 by Mohan Singh, Azad Hind Fauj or the Indian National Army (INA) was revived by Subhas Chandra Bose on 21 October, 1943. Countries including Japan, Croatia, Indonesia, Germany, Italy, and Burma along with a few others had given recognition to the Azad Hind Government. The Azad Hind Fauj was initiated during World War II to secure complete Indian independence from British rule. Who was Subhas Chandra Bose? Bose was born on 23 January, 1897 in Cuttack (part of Bengal Province’s Orissa division during that time). He completed his school education and studied at Presidency College for a short time. Later he went on to study philosophy from Scottish Church College, University of Calcutta, and then shifted to Britain for higher studies. As he was a brilliant student, Bose qualified the prestigious Indian Civil Services Examination (ICS). But, Bose soon quit as he did not want to work under the British government. He played an important role in India’s independence struggle. On the occasion of the Azad Hind Government’s anniversary, here are a few interesting facts about Netaji and his Azad Hind Fauj: As Bose was not interested in working with the Britishers, he joined the Independence movement and became a member of the Congress party. Despite working with leading personalities like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru, Bose had major ideological differences. Being a radical leader in Congress, Bose became the President of the party in 1938. He was later ousted after having differences in opinion with Gandhi and the party’s high command. Bose wanted to wage war against our colonial rulers as he differed from Gandhi’s methods of non-violence. Captain-General Mohan Singh was the first to establish the Azad Hind Fauj in 1942 in Singapore with Indian prisoners of war of the British Indian army, but it later got disbanded. Bose with the help of Indians living in Southeast Asia, formed the INA again and proudly took charge of it. In 1944, his fauj clashed with the British forces around Kohima and Imphal. Britain’s struggle to repel Japan during World War II and Netaji-led INA’s combined force was declared to be the ‘greatest ever battle involving British forces’ in a contest by the National Army Museum situated in London.