Armed Revolution By Subhas Chandra (contd-1) Calcutta to Kabul

Armed revolution By Subhas Chandra ;
1. Preparatory stage; a) As a cadet of India Defence Force (1917) [Pic-2, standing 2nd from right]

b) General Officer Commanding (GOC), Congress Volunteer Corps (1928)

With Congress volunteers -1929


















2. Attempts for making Contacts with foreign powers;
Subhas Chandra thought three things in his mind;
i) India freed, humanity saved,
ii) Britain's difficulty, India's opportunity, and
iii) Enemy's enemy is my friend.
In 1938, Bose met with Japanese officials in Calcutta , including Mr. Ohasi, a high foreign ministry officer, at a house rented by the wealthy communist S.K.Acharya, in Ballygunge. He thought it wise to use a Communist's house and Acharya was agreeable.In 1940, Bose sent one of his trusted followers, Lal Shankar Lal , general secretary of the Forward Bloc , to Japan seeking some response there. After all, Japan was talking of "Asia for the Asians" and had been a haven for nationalists from Vietnam, China, as well as for Rash Behari Bose Lal, with the help of Dwijen Bose , another nephew, obtained a pass port under the name Hiralal Gupta , and went on a Japanese ship from Calcutta to Japan. There he met Rash Behari Bose and Japanese officials in an effort to learn of their plans and how India might fit in. Later Lal was caught by the British and his mission revealed.
He wanted to find a country having  enmity with Britain.  China and Russia are allies with Britain and hence Japan and Germany are left.

He had met with German officials in Bombay in December 1938 and 1940, he tried to send out feelers to the Soviets and to Japan. His nephew , Amiya Bose , second son of Sarat Bose , was a student in England. Upon returning  to Europe in 1939 after a summer in India , he took messages from his uncle , one of them for Comintern officials in Europe.
 Freedom Struggle from outside India ;
Bose wanted to know the secret information about him in the file of the CID, Calcutta,. One night in 1940, with the help of his associates he  brought his secret file from Lord Sinha Road headquarters, which he read very carefully and and returned the file on the same night.  He did learn from his file about the trustworthiness or untrustworthiness of some associates and relations.He found that one of his distant cousin was a police informer and supplied all the information got from 38/2 Elgin Road.
Also in early 1940, Bose contacted Punjab allies and the North West Frontier Province about the help he could get in crossing the frontier into Afghanistan. The Kirty Kisan Party, linked with CPI, had the best underground network of contacts and thought here were differences between Bose and the Communists, still they were agreeable to helping him.These were the practical preparation of his going outside India.
Bose was arrested in India on 2nd July 1940. Remaining within the prison he took the decision within 4 months ( July, August, September, October ) to resort to hunger strike until death,  if he was attempted forced feeding. Ultimately, the Govt  had released him on 5th Dec 1940 and remained house arrest for next six weeks. During this period he met only the persons very close to him among his friends and relatives. He was also working out all the practical details of his planned escape from India with as much foresight and precision as he could. He contacted the agents of Kirty Kisan Party and sent an advance party to Afghanistan and two persons to Soviet union to try to prepare the way for Bose. One of the two entering the Soviet Union died in an accident. Akbar shah, a member of the Forward Bloc Working committee, came to Calcutta, Sardar Sardul Sing Caveeshar  and his long time associate Satya Ranjan Baksi were also informed.
Some had said that V.D.Savarkar, leader of the Hindu Mahasabha recommended this course of action.
Mian Akbar Shah and Sisir Bose helped him to make up as a up country Muslim in the name of Mohd Ziauddin with pass port having an identification mark.

He left in the dead of night 0n 16 Jan 1941 driven by Sisir
Bose
in which he and Subhas Bsoe being its only occupants. Subhas had with him a suitcase , bedding, and an attache case. From Elgin Road they took the Grand Trunk Road( as shown in the diagram) and after a whole night's drive at top speed they hid themselves at a certain place for the day and in the evening resumed the journey by car . The Duo reached Gomoh , about 210 miles from Calcutta, from where Subhas Bose got into a train, Kalka Mail,  to a station outside Delhi , in the early hours of

18 January.  as Maulavi Ziauddin, as an insurance agent , with beard , in fez, astrakhan cap and baggy pyjamas The Station , Gomoh,was renamed after Independence after the name of Subhas Chandra Bose.   Friends and relatives of Subhas Chandra seeing him off  for good at Gomoh Railway Station.
Then he went to  Peshwar Cantonment railway Station on 19 January,1941. At Peshwar there was an inordinate delay for a week for want of a proper plan to escape to Kabul and a  reliable guide . the arrangement for his stay at Peshwar were arranged by Mian Akbar Shah, Forward Bloc leader of NWFP.
In the early  hours of 26 January , 1941, Bose as Ziauddin, a sick uncle of disguised Rahmat Khan , Bhagat Ram Talwar, the then member of Kiriti Kisan Party and the Forawrd Bloc of the NWFP , left Peshwar by car accompanied , in addition, by Abad Khan and a guide , en route the shrine of Sukhi Sahib at Adda Sharif in Afghanistan.Bose pretended to be dumb and deaf to hide his ignorance in Pushtu, tribal language of Afghanistan.

They turned off the main Kabul road before Jamrud , ( In October 1836, Jamrud was conquered from the Khyberis by the Sikhs. Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa (1791-1837), the well-known Sikh general, proposed to build a big fort at Jamrud. The proposal was opposed; nevertheless the foundation of the fort that has survived was laid by General Hari Singh Nalwa on 6 Poh 1893 Sambat (18 December 1836) and the construction was completed in 54 daysthe great fort which guards the entrance  to the Khyber Pass. )

Abad Khan was sent back to Peshwar from this point. The rest of the party continued its journey on foot and crossed the border.  By 8 p.m. the party entered the tribal area and reached the village , Pishkhan Maina at midnight. They stayed there and started their journey in the morning on mules for some distance and later by trucks., passing by on the high way. Even they crossed the river Kabul

, on a raft made of  goatskins.      Next to Peshwar Kabul was the second important halting station in the adventure of Bose. He had to stay in Kabul for about forty - six days ( from 31 january to 17 March , 1941) for making further arrangements , to escape from Kabul to Berlin.

"For forty five days" wrote Uttam chand , the host of Bose in Kabul , an Indian radio dealer and crockery shop owner in Kabul, with whom Bhagat Ram had acquaintance , "Bose Babu was with me.."Both Bose and Bhagat Ram were new to Kabul . They continued their incognito roles as deaf and dumb Ziauddin and Rahmat Khan , respectively, to hide their identity from the Afghan Police and the British agents. The day they arrived in Kabul , they were ready to drop with fatigue. the only safe residence near the Lahori gate (The Lahori Gate is located within Walled City of Lahore in (Lahore, Punjab ) Pakistan. Lahori Gate is one of the 13 gates of the Walled City of Lahore. Being one of the oldest gates of the old city, Lahori Gate is also known as Lohari gate. According to some historians, the original (old) city of Lahore was originally located near Ichhra, and this gate opened towards that side. Hence the name, Lahori gate. The name also traces back its roots to the language of Urdu, in which, “Lohar” means Blacksmith)
was a sarai, which was hardly fit for human habitation.in tea was the only food for them on the first night. The next day after their arrival in Kabul,  they started their secret contacts with the foreign Embassies in Kabul for asylum to th revolutionaries and to socialists. This intention , ha had made known first to Abad Khan at Peshwar and then, on a number of occasion, to Uttam chand.As it became difficult to protect themselves from the suspecting Afghans, they moved to the residence of Uttam Chand in the aftertnoon of 13 Feb. By that time, they had bribed the police with the gold watch of bose, which was on the wrist of Bhagat Ram .
Bose's sudden departure stirred great speculation. Gandhiji sent a Telegram to Sarat Bose to know the reality , " starting news about Subhas . Please wire. Hope all well.".

Apart from all these preparations Bose consulted astrologer and palmist in 1940.    
Bose set late night, Jan 16 early morning Jan 17, 1941 as the departure time.

An alternative opinion said , without proof, the British authority allowed Subhas to escape from India.
The back door of the house at Elgin Road  from where he left.




The news was circulated by daily paper on 27th january, 1941.
Pic-top, A view of Kabul where he went and stayed in the house of Uttam Chand for one and half months.

Pic bottom shows a portion of the house of uttam Chand.