Bose, a forgotten hero in city

KANPUR: The Industrial City preferred to give a miss to freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose on his 118th birth anniversary on Friday. No events were held, people remained unaware of the importance of the day. Even social networking sites remained silent on the issue. Ironically, neither government officials nor the Gen X was aware of Bose’s jayanti.
It is ironical that while the city contributed towards Bose’s struggle for freedom through Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, an officer of the Indian National Army and minister of women’s affairs in the Azad Hind government, it decided to forget Bose on his birth anniversary.
A local summed up city’s attitude: “I was unaware that it was Subhash Chandra Bose’s birthday. He was a hero and a pioneer in freedom struggle. He should be remembered for his contribution. However, it seems the society has forgotten him.”
Social activists Aaditya Tiwari lamented, “Bose should be remembered, at least on his birthday for his remarkable contribution to the freedom struggle. Most of us know him for his famous motto: ‘Give me blood and I will give you freedom’. Some remember him for ‘Azad Hind Fauj’. But just knowing the historical facts is not enough. He was a legendary hero, who crossed two continents and had guts to create his own army. We remember great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru but forget those without whom the freedom struggle was incomplete. To my surprise, even the social media was silent through out the day. I didn’t receive any WhatsApp message related to Bose’s birthday. The subject was trending only on Twitter.”
Meanwhile, a few committees made an effort to celebrate Netaji’s birthday and spread spirit of patriotism amongst the citizens. Kamta Sewa Sansthan offered flowers to Bose’s statue at Ghantaghar chauraha. Uttar Pradesh Chandra Shekhar Azad Jankalyan Samithi garlanded the statue of the freedom fighter in DAV Law College campus. “Bose, the leader of the younger and radical wing of the Indian National Congress became Congress President in 1938 and 1939. He contributed to the freedom struggle by making ‘Azad Hind Fauj’. By observing the day, we are trying to spread the spirit of patriotism among the citizens, especially among the young generation,” said Pramod Pandey of the Samithi.