Raju Mansukhani
Across Asia, national idols and their idealism are being attacked and their contributions devalued, degraded, debased and often destroyed by opposing political forces. It is becoming the defining mark of our volatile age. Recent scenes of violence and arson in Dhaka, at the residence-turned-museum of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, are yet another testimony to this onslaught; while within and outside the Parliament in India, the first Prime Minister Pt Jawaharlal Nehru is constantly being humiliated, ridiculed for domestic and foreign policies initiated in the 1950s, generations ago.
Rising above this cacophony of relentless political offensive is the much-adored highly revered figure of Subhas Chandra Bose, hailed as ‘Netaji’ (meaning ‘Leader’ in Hindi) whose aura continues to grow: in Kolkata, a museum dedicated to his life and times was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 January 2021 marking Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary; in Moirang, a one-street town in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur, the INA War Museum and INA Martyr’s memorial complex commemorate the historic events of 1944 when the Indian National Army hoisted the tricolour flag for the first time on Indian soil during the Second World War; innumerable books, films and television serials are grabbing the attention of new generations of readers, viewers who are witness to the charismatic power of Netaji’s leadership in the 1930s and 1940s, and his global vision still so relevant, full of promise and significance.
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