Every member of the team agreed on the steps to be taken and the instructions to be passed to the Divisional Commanders of the INA and the Chairmen of the branches and sub-branches of the Indian Independence League throughout East Asia.

Urgent organisational issues once again kept everyone busy over the next few days. For Netaji, the welfare of his soldiers, especially the 500 women from Singapore regimented with the Rani Jhansi Brigade, was uppermost in his mind.

On August 14, Bose had a bad tooth extracted and, so, was asked by the dentist to stay in bed. However, certain pre-occupations ensured that he got little rest.

The most important meeting that day started very late, and was attended among others by A N Sarkar, a member of the Provisional Government of Azad Hind. The meeting was called to decide whether or not Bose should stay back in Singapore with his troops and have himself taken Prisoner of War. Though Bose felt that there were greater advantages in being taken prisoner, (his imprisonment or death, he felt, would accelerate the demand for anti-British movement in India.) his team members were not all sure that he should give himself up to the British.

On August 15, Tokyo officially announced the news of its surrender. That night, after a five-hour meeting, Bose decided to leave Singapore. The tricky question, however, was: "Where should he go - to Thailand, Indo-China, Japan, Manchukuo or Russia?" It was definitely a question that needed to be answered, but those who attended the meeting did not leave an account of the decision. It was, however, decided that Bose should visit Tokyo for final consultations and also to thank the Japanese government for the help his government received from Japan.

By the time the final plan was drafted, it was 3 am. This was the last of the informal meeting and was attended by Major-General Kiani, Major-General Alagappan, Colonel Habibur Rahman, A N Sarkar and S A Aiyer. Here it was decided that Major-General Kiani should take charge of the affairs of the INA in Singapore in Netaji's absence and that Major-General Alagappan and A N Sarkar should stay on to assist.

Col Habibur Rehman, Col Pritham Singh from Singapore, Major Abid Hassan and Debnath Das from Bangkok and Major Swami were to join Bose's team leaving for Saigoan, Tokyo, and thereafter, another destination.

At 9.30 am the next day, Bose was leading Colonel Habib, Colonel Pritham Singh, S A Ayer, and Mr Nigeshi, the Japanese interpreter into a Japanese bomber headed for Bangkok. There was something wrong inside the plane and the passengers sitting upfront, including Bose were being drenched by petrol leaking from a loose tank pipe.

The News of Bose's arrival in Bangkok city spread among the Indians within a few minutes and Netaji was deluded by a stream of visitors from that evening to early hours of August 17. The rest of the day was taken up for the conduct of organisational affairs.

Bose went to sleep the next day at 5 am and was in bed for an hour. Then Netaji, Col Habib, Col Pritham Singh, Col Gulzara Singh, Maj Abid Hassan, Debnath Das and S A Ayer set off on a short flight to Saigon. In Saigon, the air was tense and rumour of French wrath falling on Japan's allies were doing busy rounds.

Bose and his party drove from Saigon Aerodrome in two cars to the outskirts of the city and arrived at the house of Narain Das, Secretary of the Housing Department of the IIL Saigon.

Bose had just a half-hour rest when he was woken up by the arrival of Kiano, the Japanese Liaison officer. Kaino said there was a Japanese plane ready to fly, but there was only one seat on it. Kiano did not know where the plane was headed, but he kept insisting that there was no time to lose. When Bose refused to be on a plane whose destination was unknown, Kiano rushed back to fetch his seniors General Isoda, Mr Hachiyya and a Staff Officer of Field Marshal Terauchi. Netaji, Col Habib and the visitors were closeted in a room. In the middle of the meeting Netaji and Col Habib stepped out of the room, leaving the Japanese behind them. Bose motioned Habib, Abid, Debnath and Aiyer into a room and behind closed doors gave them a brief of the Japanese mission. The question that followed was cryptic… "There is a plane ready to take off in the next few minutes. The Japanese say there is only one seat to spare… should I go even if I have to go alone?"

There were some exchanges following which it was decided that the Japanese would be asked to arrange for another seat on the plane for Bose's adjutant as well. No word was exchanged on where Netaji was headed. "We did not ask him and he did not tell us," Aiyer quoted in his book Unto him a witness. "But we knew and he knew that we knew. The palne was bound for Manchuria."

After a brief consultation with the Japanese, Bose informed the men that there was a spare seat and Col Habib would fly with him. There was not a moment to be lost and Bose and Col Habib raced in a car to the aerodrome to take the fateful flight…."

- Compiled by Shali Ittaman

(This story has been pieced together from accounts of "eyewitnesses, scholars, researchers and writers" who have reported on the incidents leading up to the fateful flight. That the plot has many holes, is a warning to surfers that there may be more to the Subhas Bose "death episode" than the following story indicates.)