On Thursday, just three days ahead of India’s 71st Republic Day celebrations, the country's national leaders and netizens flooded Twitter with tributes to Subhas Chandra Bose on his 123rd birthday.
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the wish-wagon on his birthday on Twitter, with the latter also sharing a picture of a hand-written note that Bose’s father wrote in 1897 on the day his son was born.
Tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary. He remains one of our most beloved national heroes and an icon of India's freedom struggle. At his word, millions of Indians joined the freedom movement and gave their all. His courage and patriotism inspire us.
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 23, 2020
India will always remain grateful to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose for his bravery and indelible contribution to resisting colonialism. He stood up for the progress and well-being of his fellow Indians. pic.twitter.com/otUlFanULs
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2020
On 23rd January 1897, Janakinath Bose wrote in his diary, “A son was born at midday.”
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 23, 2020
This son became a valorous freedom fighter and thinker who devoted his life towards one great cause- India’s freedom.
I refer to Netaji Bose, who we proudly remember on his Jayanti today. pic.twitter.com/wp3UjudKJ4
Survived by historic stories and well-known slogans like “Tum mujhe khoon do, mei tumhe aazaadi dunga” (You give me blood, I’ll give you freedom), Bose formed an army called the Indian National Army to fight the Brits and even received aide from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan during World War II to contribute to freeing India from British rule.
Netizens have shared facts and vintage pictures of Bose on social media. With over 50,000 mentions already, #NetajiSubhasChandraBose is trending on Twitter in India followed by other hashtags including #NetajiBirthday and #subhashchandrabose among others.
My tribute to the great Indian freedom fighter #NetajiSubhasChandraBose Ji on his birth anniversary. pic.twitter.com/4BaLoLOYnx
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) January 23, 2020
The first man who referred Gandhiji as "The father of our Nation" is Nethaji ❤️
— Ⓜ️ayon🤘 (@MayonTweets) January 23, 2020
Nethaji is the patriot of patriots - Gandhiji ❤️#NetajiSubhasChandraBose pic.twitter.com/1N6IRRrv4s
HBD to the greatest revolutionary of India Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose ❤🎂🙏🇮🇳..We couldn't get freedom without his much effective support..The backbone of India's Independence..He was One of the most highly prominent respected person in the India #NetajiSubhasChandraBose pic.twitter.com/0nNHXwJR1z
— Ankit Mukherjee (@mukherjeeankit1) January 22, 2020
On his birth anniversary, humble tributes to the great #NetajiSubhasChandraBose whose defiant patriotism and commitment towards India made him one of the greatest freedom fighters in Indian history.
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) January 23, 2020
Jai Hind 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Cp2fDwBQr7
The death of Subhas Chandra Bose is still shrouded in mystery and its details have remained unclear and classified.
According to records, Bose died in a plane crash in the area of Taipei, Taiwan in August 1945. Japanese news agency Domai had confirmed the news back then along with the details of Bose’s cremation in the Taihoku crematory on 18 August 1945.
One of the most famous theories surrounding the possibility that Bose actually survived the crash or was not involved in one at all believes that the freedom fighter came back to India in 1955 and stayed in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh as a strange godman named “Gumnami Baba” (unnamed saint).
For years, several people asserted that Gumnami Baba was actually Bose living in disguise or conscious oblivion. The unnamed saint died on 16 September 1985. But a judicial probe into his death concluded that the story of Gumnami Baba was not true.
