Sunday, June 14, 2009

German Leaflet - Subhas Chandra Bose


I will no longer apologize for not keeping my promise. In last post where I said, I will post 2 back to back items. Though, I didn't do that. I think, my readers are used to it now :-)

Cutting the same old crap, lets focus on today's item. It's time since I showed some leaflets. Therefore, I decided to re-activate my leaflets series again. Well, the real reason is that I lost in all of Psywar Society Auctions where I placed my bid on some "Hamara Hindustan" original English Translation leaflets :(

Just today only I received email from society saying nothing for me in auction. I think checking the leaflets that I have is one way to solace (gives you feeling that you still have some of them in your possession).

This is one of German leaflet numbered delta.gif (1104 bytes)121 A/644 depicting Netaji (leader) Subhas Chandra Bose in front. It bears an autographed photograph of Bose in Indian National Army uniform.

There is no introduction needed for Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. But for people, who doesn't know him. Here is brief introduction from Wikipedia.

Subhas Chandra Bose (born January 23, 1897; presumed to have died August 18, 1945 although this is disputed), popularly known as Netaji (literally "Respected Leader"), was a leader in the Indian independence movement.

Bose was elected president of the Indian National Congress for two consecutive terms but had to resign from the post following ideological conflicts with Mahatma Gandhi and after openly attacking Congress foreign and internal policy. Bose believed that Mahatma Gandhi's tactics of non-violence would never be sufficient to secure India's independence, and advocated violent resistance. He established a separate political party, the All India Forward Bloc and continued to call for the full and immediate independence of India from British rule. He was imprisoned by the British authorities 11 times.

His stance did not change with the outbreak of the Second World War, which he saw as an opportunity to take advantage of British weakness. At the outset of the war, he went away from India and traveled to the Soviet Union, Germany and Japan, seeking an alliance with the aim of attacking the British in India. With Japanese assistance, he re-organised and later led the Indian National Army, formed from Indian prisoners-of-war and plantation workers from British Malaysia, Singapore, and other parts of Southeast Asia, against British forces. With Japanese monetary, political, diplomatic and military assistance, he formed the Azad Hind Government in exile and regrouped and led the Indian National Army in battle against the allies at Imphal and in Burma.

The back of the leaflet reads in Urdu and Hindustani (written in Roman script):

Good News!

Most of you may be familiar with the face shown. If not, then listen. The photo belongs to Subhas Chandra Bose who is known as the Hind (National) leader, and is famous by his name all over the world. This man is ever ready to lay down his life for his country and for you. And now he is fighting for freedom of India.

Along with Hind (National) Leader,

Japanese and German government has promised that Indian prisoners of war will be treated in friendly manner. They will not be subjected to any punishment or torture. At this moment, thousands of Indian prisoners of war are spending their life comfortably in camps. They have been in regular touch with their family by post.

British propaganda

that Germans don't imprison but kill is absolutely rubbish and false.

The leaflet ends with some text in German (in footer) which unfortunately I can't read.

Of course the propaganda was meant to persuade Indians part of British (allied) forces to switch side and lay down their arms to Germans/Japanese. The same people were later recruited in Indian National Army to fight against British (allied) forces in South East Asia.
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