Lieutenant Rangaswamy Madhavan Pillai, a member of the Azad Hind Fauj, founded by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, is among the last few recognised freedom fighters living in Delhi.
Born on March 13, 1926, in the Saryan township of Rangoon district in Burma (now Myanmar), he is now 99. He joined the Indian Independence League as a civilian in 1942 under Rash Behari Bose.When Netaji arrived in Singapore, Lt. Pillai formally enlisted in the Indian National army, also known as the Azad Hind Fauj, on November 1, 1943, at the age of 17. He served as a recruitment and fundraising officer, mobilising support for INA across 32 locations in Burma.
“We would go to families and ask mothers and fathers to enlist their sons for the sake of the country. Freedom demands the sacrifice of blood, that is what Netaji said. We had a mission that could be accomplished only at a cost. We had to return to those families and inform them about the passing of their sons when they fought and paid with their lives,” said Pillai, now bedridden for the past six months.
He was imprisoned for eight months in Rangoon Jail in 1945. He returned to India with his family in 1971 and was officially recognised as a freedom fighter by the Government of India on August 1, 1980.
His son Ganesh Pillai said that around 1945-46, when most of his recruits died during World War II, Pillai was disturbed, took up Buddhism and learnt the Pali language.