Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was of the decided view that illiteracy was one of the greatest maladies of Indian society and the most formidable obstacle on the path of development of mass consciousness. He had a long background of social service, an integral part of which was the eradication of illiteracy. Even when he was a school student he was attached to a Night School of Krishnanagar where students from poor and indigent families, received education. At this point of time, Subhas was under the influence of Swami Vivekananda who was an ardent champion of mass education. Subhas constantly emphasized the need to impart education to the illiterate masses to lift them up from the morass of ignorance. Thus, even when he was imprisoned at Mandalaya, he wrote in an undated letter to Bhupendra Nath Banerji that it would be highly beneficial if the latter could set up a school for children belonging to the lower classes like cobblers and sweepers.

Subhas Chandra's crusade against illiteracy, was based on his unreserved recognition of the right to education for all classes of people, which was indispensable for the establishment of a socialist state in India. Speaking at the University Institute Hall in November 1927 at the All Bengal Youth Conference, Subhas identified
the lack of food, clothing and education as the three major wants of the Indian people. For the satisfaction of these wants, reforms needed to be initiated in villages at the grass root level. However, Subhas rightly stressed on self reliance saying that initially external aid might be necessary, but thereafter the rural folk must exercise their own initiative and motivation to be able to stand on their own feet.

In present day India, an anti-illiteracy drive has been initiated but it has not been supplemented by adequate follow-up action. Thus, while the majority of the people are familiar with alphabets they are far from self-reliant. Thus the so called literacy campaign has not served any fruitful purpose as such. Netaji Bose wanted to prepare the people for greater tasks and challenges. The present drive against illiteracy, has not been backed up by positive programmes of economic ametioration of the poor and the needy. Thus even while the number of so called literates, has increased, their level of intelligence has sunk to abysmal depths. As a result even today diabolical instances of which hunting, continue to appall us, and we still hear of child marriage and persecution of the depressed classes. The social revolution visualised by Netaji, is still a distant dream. A society of unenlightened literates is certainly less preferable than one of enlightened illiterates, because very often, illiterates display greater humanity than our self proclaimed intellectuals who only preach sermons from ivory towers. Netaji wanted enlightened literacy which has proved elusive till date.