The story of the fallen

The Forgotten Army, Azaadi Ki Liye
(For Freedom, Hindi; 2020)
Amazon Prime.

26,000 Indians had died under the banner of Indian National Army (INA) while fighting for Independence of India. Their actions triggered the Royal Indian Navy mutiny, which nailed the coffin of the British occupancy in India. The plea for Independence and the spirit of Indianness were supported by the diaspora outside India just to be sizzled out by the historical turn of events. They say that history is written by the victors. This is one clear proof of this statement. History had vilified the efforts of INA and had labelled them as traitors. Their agitations had been marked, not as nationalism but as treason.

Flag of Azad Hind

Their rebel yell, Dilli Chalo (Let's go Delhi), was not in keeping with the narrative of the day then, as dictated by the Father of India and supported by the Congress Party. These people wanted India to be a British dominion to be given crumbs by their colonial masters. As such, Gandhi et al. decreed that Indian should be fighting for the cause of the Allied Forces to stay loyal to their master's path.

Subash Chandra Bose wanted full Independence from the British, not being a protectorate of Britain. He definitely did not believe that Gandhi's non-violent path would lead to self-rule. He managed to garner support from all the enemies of the British and the Allied Forces. At a time when India, being the subject of the British, was expected to fight for against the Axis Alliance, Bose lobbied for an Army to march with the Japanese against British in their Burmese campaigns. Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) was his brainchild, armed by the Japanese Imperial Army and financed by contributions expatriate Indian civilian volunteers of Malaya and Singapore. Hence, he was labelled as a traitor and enemy of the state.

      Even though the operatives eventually turned out to be a dangerous one and had to be abandoned due to logistics as the Japanese found the whole exercise an uphill task, the INA did leave its mark. They stirred Indian nationalism. They were instrumental in initiating the Royal Indian Navy mutiny which expedited the British exit from the subcontinent. They were also the first Army (after Russia) to recruit a whole regiment comprising women -The Jhansi Regiment. For that time, the act of Indian women donning pants itself was revolutionary.

History never really gave the INA its befitting place. They were never given credence as free fighters, only tried as traitors.  The 13,000 odd INA soldiers who were apprehended were never given due recognition for their sacrifices and never remunerations reserved for freedom fighters. Their activities actually roused the nation and stirred political consciousness in British colonies. Their soldiers later initiated left-wing and union movements in Malaya, Singapore and even Indonesia. They began to think of Independence. In Malaya, after Merdeka, their members continued carrying education reforms and women empowerment movements at the local and national levels.

This 5-part miniseries brings its viewers through a nostalgic journey into the past. Using the spruced-up colonial buildings of Singapore, the rubber estates in Malaysia and the jungles of Thailand as backdrops, the director managed to narrate the genesis of INA. Starting with prisoners-of-war of Indian descent serving the British Indian Army, the Japanese riled up patriotism to recruit more volunteers to serve at the Burmese-Indian border in their encounter with the British.

Using characters with names of known figures who had participated in the mission, the storyteller managed to create a love drama of soldiers as they scaled the treacherous terrains of the Arakan and the perilous battles in Manipur. 

Janaki is the story refers to Janaki Athi Nahappan who went on to establish Malayan Indian Congress with John Thivy. She continued her social work until her demise in 2014. 

Rasammah Naomi Navarednam

Rasamma here refers to Mrs FR Bhuphalan, a Malaysian educationist and social activist, the 95-years lady of steel who appears in the media annually during the Merdeka month. The character Lakshmi denotes Dr Lakshmi Swaminathan @ Lakshmi Sahgal @ Captain Lakshmi, who gave up her medical practice in Singapore to join INA in the Azadi movement. She later became a Minister in the defunct Azad Hind Government. After the war, she settled in Kanpur, continued her medical practice, entered politics under the Communist Party banners and passed away at the ripe age of 97 in 2012.

A lovely miniseries that educates the ignoramus on the side of history as narrated by the fallen. Excellent cinematography and prudent use of computer graphic imaging (CGI) to recreate the feel of a real war and fairly credible combat scenes. We are relieved of the typical gravity-defying acrobatic battle encounters typified by Bollywood. Worth the watch.

The plaque erected by the
National Heritage Board at Esplanade Park,
marking the INA Monument site in Singapore.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The hand that rocks the cradle and the world!

Manikarnika (2019)

It is not a documentary, so do not expect factual accuracy. It is quite alright if you see the screen Jhansi Rani letting her hair down, getting into the groove and dancing with the villagers. At least they got the Mahishashura Mardini version of Queen Laxmibai right. Her unabated rage in fighting the tyranny of British can best be compared to the unstoppable fighting machine of Durga overpowering the Buffalo Demon of Mahishashura seen in the Mysore tradition. Living true to the feminine force of Nature which gives life and takes, Jhansi Rani has remained the Indian icon that spread nationalism and empowered women the world over, at least in the Indian diaspora.

The 21st century has seen countries that used to be under the yoke of colonial powers in the previous centuries suddenly open their eyes to realise that their masters never left their shores. They had continued their grip on the newly developed economies through their web of deceit, control and mass hypnotism. Through remote control means with the aid of media, be it print or digital methods, via Hollywood and lately through social media and fake news platform, they are always one step ahead from the rest of the world. Hence, now more than ever, there is a need to rekindle the nationalistic spirit amongst the post-colonial population to combat these seemingly invisible tentacles that control our mind, money and soul.

Died at 29; Immortalised by history.

Laxmibai, Queen of Jhansi, born Manikarnika, was an impressive figure during the First Independence War of India also known the Sepoy Mutiny. She married the King of Jhansi when the East India Company was hot on their heels, expanding their territorial control by instigating feud amongst local princes and inciting political ambitions within the members of the royal courtyard. The Queen's 4 month-old infant mysteriously died and so did the King soon after. A relative's son was adopted for ascension to the throne later. This was deemed illegal by the British who had by then enacted 'Lapse Doctrine' where a territory without a proper heir became British control. Jhansi is given an annual allowance and is expelled from her palace.

She returned with a vengeance after careful planning. Her image of riding on horseback with her toddler tied to her back and brandishing a sword is immortalised on metal statues around India. Trying to defend the city Gwalior from the British Army, she succumbed to her wounds. Not wanting to be captured by an enemy she decided to indulge in self-immolation. Some accounts insist that she was just cremated after her death as per her instructions.

Even before the movie hit the theatres, it, or specifically its heroine, Kangana Ranaut, created a hype in the media. Perhaps it was intentional. As they say in showbiz, any news is good news to stir curiosity amongst its viewers. In an interview, she had apparently threatened to expose the Bollywood mafia on their stance on nepotism. Her directorial direction was also the topic of discussion in the media circle. Excellent at creating a mountain of a molehill, they made an issue when Ranaut apparently took the helm to finish off some loose ends on the final product. Sensationalism or not, Ranaut, a multiple award-winning actor, managed to pull the role of Jhansi Rani very well. This angry 32-year young woman managed to bring to the celluloid screen the story of a gutsy 22-year-old monarch who had the guts to say no to the technically advanced invaders and to give a run for their money.

Interestingly, the first battle against the British was fought jointly to the chant of ‘Bajrangi Bali’, ‘Ya Ali’ and ‘Har Har Mahadeva’. All occupants of the land who had been ever welcoming of sojourners raised in unison against the evil and greedy invaders who had nothing but plundering in their minds. The Indians, on the other hand, had thought of everything - philosophy, the art of living, symbiosis with Mature, arithmetic, space exploration and perhaps even black holes in space. Not the Black Holes of Calcutta that the invaders thought of to subjugate their subjects.

Funny how every time history is invoked, it is often construed as a nidus to start communal violence. It used to be a unifying factor.

An equestrian statue of Lakshmibai in Solapur, Maharashtra.

N.B. During World War 2, many young Malayan Indian women volunteered during Netaji Chandra Bose's recruitment drive to join Rani of Jhansi Women's Regiment of the Indian Army. It aimed to overthrow the British Raj with Japanese assistance. It was one of the very few all-female combat regiments of the Second World War on any side.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.