Independence Day 2022: Singapore reminisces India’s independence fight | Travel - Hindustan Times
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Independence Day 2022: Singapore reminisces India’s independence fight

BySandip Hor | Posted by Parmita Uniyal
Aug 15, 2022 03:39 PM IST

As India celebrates its 75th Independence anniversary this year, Sandip Hor wanders in Singapore to trace any legacies of the INA and Netaji as many historians regard the Singapore chapter of freedom movement as a catalyst of a major threat to the British to leave India.

Overlooked by the National Gallery of Singapore, Padang is a quiet and serene patch of greenery where I saw kids playing cricket with some of their friends and family watching and cheering for them while many others walking around ground to remain physically fit. (Also read: This little India in Malaysia deserves a special mention)

One of India’s most celebrated freedom fighter, Netaji arrived in the South East Asian city on July 2, 1943 from Germany via Japan to lead the newly established Indian National Army (INA) or the ‘Azad Hind Fauz’ to fight against the British in India.
One of India’s most celebrated freedom fighter, Netaji arrived in the South East Asian city on July 2, 1943 from Germany via Japan to lead the newly established Indian National Army (INA) or the ‘Azad Hind Fauz’ to fight against the British in India.

None of them perhaps know that this expansive arena on a sultry July afternoon in 1943, nearly 79 years back, was packed with people- mainly Singapore residents of Indian descent – who gathered to see and hear from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, known more as Netaji, about his military quest to free India from 200 years of British colonisation.

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One of India’s most celebrated freedom fighter, Netaji arrived in the South East Asian city on July 2, 1943 from Germany via Japan to lead the newly established Indian National Army (INA) or the ‘Azad Hind Fauz’ to fight against the British in India.

The historic ground of Padang(Sandip Hor)
The historic ground of Padang(Sandip Hor)

Gripping the entire world, the Second World War in full swing at that time and as a part of that global combat, Japan a year earlier in 1942 invaded and occupied the British held Singapore. With Japan’s assistance, INA was formed with the Indian origin British prisoners of war to fight against the common enemy. Since formation, there were some leadership issues, so Netaji was invited by the INA founder Rash Behari Bose and the Japanese army to lead the battle.

I had been to Singapore many times in the past to savour its famous attractions from cultural hubs likes Little India and China Town and various museums to shopping malls, food courts, Sentosa Island, Marina Bay Sands and the Night Safari Zoo. However, this recent visit was for a different mission.

While India celebrates its 75th Independence anniversary this year, I am wandering in Singapore to trace any legacies of the INA and Netaji as many historians regard the Singapore chapter of freedom movement as a catalyst of a major threat to the British to leave India.

As said, Padang still stands as a silent witness of many gatherings of INA marches and Bose meetings. While at the site, I got transported back in time to imagine myself standing in the crowd and listening to one of greatest patriots of India motivating fellow Indians to join his military quest to free their motherland from the colonisers. His famous marching call “Dilli Chalo” echoed in my ears.

While searching for leftovers, I tried to find anyone still living who had seen Netaji and attended to any of his meetings. Eight decades is a long time so as expected I didn't strike any luck to locate someone from that period other than Sangram Singh – a third generation Singaporean of Indian descent. He runs a shop in the Little India conclave, home to the settlers from the sub-continent for more than a century.

“I heard many stories about the INA and Netaji from my grandfather and father”, he told me. “Both were present at the historic gathering at Padang where Bose talked to the large mass of the local Indian community”. “Unfortunately, the modern generation doesn’t know about it as that part of WWII history hasn’t been well preserved”, he added. Perhaps that’s a reason for renowned filmmaker Shyam Benegal to title Netaji as a “Forgettable Hero”, for his 2004 Biographical movie.

To know more about Singapore during the WWII period I visited Fort Siloso inside the Sentosa Island. Today, it’s an entrainment sanctuary, but late 19th century island was a British military base comprising four coastal citadels, out of which only Fort Siloso still exists as a key icon for visitors like me who are interested to know Singapore’s wartime events, particularly during WWII.

Amongst several displays, the most invigorating to me is the Surrender Chambers which showcased through various effects including wax-made models the Japanese invasion and occupation of Singapore in 1942 all the way through their surrender in 1945 ending the war. It was very important for my mission because it was the Japanese occupation of British Singapore that triggered Netaji to arrive in Singapore to mobilise the Indian-origin POWs captured by the Japanese to lead the INA.

My biggest discovery from the mission was locating the Capital Building on Stamford Road from where Netaji on 21st October 1943 announced the formation of the Provisional Government of Free India in Singapore, declaring himself as the Head of State, Prime Minister and Minister of War.

In his rousing speech, which I gathered from Wikipedia while researching on the topic, he said - “In the name of God, in the name of bygone generations who have welded the Indian people into one nation, and in the name of the dead heroes who have bequeathed to us a tradition of heroism and self-sacrifice we call upon the Indian people to rally round our banner and strike for India’s freedom. We call upon them to launch the final struggle against the British and their allies in India and to prosecute that struggle with valour and perseverance and full faith in final victory until the enemy is expelled from Indian soil and the Indian people are once again a Free Nation."

Regrettably, around the site there is no plaque or memorial to make people aware of this event so important in the history of both India and Singapore.

Fortunately, there is an INA memorial inside the nearby Esplanade Park installed in 1995 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. It stands on the site of the original memorial the foundation stone of which was laid by Bose on July 8, 1945. At the end of the war, the Japanese surrendered and the monument was destroyed at the order of Lord Mountbatten, then the Head of Southeast Asia Command of the victorious British forces. The words inscribed in the new version still inscribes the three key slogans of the INA- Unity (Etihaad), Faith (Etmad) and Sacrifice (Kurbani).

Standing in front of the memorial became one of the most poignant moments of my life. I paid homage to the soldiers of the INA who gallantly contributed to the birth of free India which finally and formally came on 15 August 1947.

A Hindu temple in Little India(Sandip Hor)
A Hindu temple in Little India(Sandip Hor)

By coincidence it was July 2, 2022, exactly 79 years later Netaji first marked his footsteps in Singapore.

There are few other memoirs in Singapore that marks footprints of Bose, the Chettiar Temple on Tank Road is one of them. It’s said he used to frequently drop in there with his close associate and Muslim INA officer Abid Hasan, attesting to his principle of making no division based on religion and language. While in Singapore he formed within INA a women's brigade called the Rani Jhansi Regiment. That testified to his other principle of not differentiating between men and women.

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