What Happened to Bose?

It was afternoon on 18^th Aug, 1945. A man in his khaki uniform boarded Mitsubishi Bomber along with his close aids.  Bomber was picking up on the runway and soon it was in the air. A few minutes in the air, one of the engines broke swinging the bomber to the right side. The pilot tried for a balance but failed. With 100 feet per sec, it was falling. With more than 300Kmph, it hit the ground and pierced some of the land before coming to halt. This made one of the fuel tankers to catch fire. When ground staff started approaching the broken plane, they saw two people, while one of them had become a human torch.

Friends, curiosity takes us to next level. Sometimes, we accidentally become curious.  Last year, I played Secret Santa in my office.  Raise your hand if you have played Secret Santa?  

As you know, we gift something to our child in this game. I always gift books and I gave a book to my child as a gift. Surprisingly, my Santa gifted me a book too. This book I did not open until this November.  And that is “What happened to Netaji” by Anuj Dhar. I accidentally opened the book and became curious. The book deals about the 3 beliefs persisted about Bose Death.

Belief 1: Bose was badly burned in the plane crash in 1945 and died in the early hours of 19^th Aug, 1945.  After the cremation, the ashes were sent to Renkoji Temple in Sep, 1945.

Belief 2: Bose faked the Air Crash and escaped to Soviet Union through China to seek support for independence movement from Stalin. According to Bose, Soviet felt British as their enemy.  But Bose was captured and killed in a prison of Seberia because Nehru ordered the execution.

Belief 3:  Bose took sanyass and lived in Utter Pradesh until his death in 1985.    

Anuj, who accidentally got curious about Bose mystery, wrote his first book on Netaji in 2005. Since then he published more books about Netaji collecting factual information.  He is also founding member of Mission Netaji foundation. He, in his latest book, confirms Netaji did not die in the plane crash and but lived as Bhagawanji until 1985.

Three commissions have been set up on Bose Mystery. First is Nawaz shaw commission, lead by Congress MP, Nawaz Shaw in 1956. Second one in Khosla commission. Both the commissions concluded that Bose died in the plane crash. Third Commission led by Justice Mukarji was formed in 1999. It concluded in 2006 that Bose did not die in plane crash. Anuj, with facts shows how Bhagawanji was in contact with most of the political leaders in his latest book.

Whatever might have happened to Bose, he was never given that position Gandhi or Nehru or Patel has taken.  He was a brave Patriot, who lived and died for our country. He indeed freed it from the shackles of British Empire. Some might forget it. We do not. His Legacy lives on. Let us give a standing ovation to Bose for his patriotism.

CC7 Speech ends after Standing ovation and over to Toastmasters of the Day.
Speech given at CAMP Systems Toastmasters, Hyderabad.
Pic Credits: CAMP Systems Toastmasters, Hyderabad.