New Delhi [India]: To commemorate the anniversary of the formation of the Azad Hind Government by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, several events were organized across the country on Friday. The events were held as part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations. The Ministry of Culture spearheaded the organisation of an integrated program calendar across regions and geographies with participation from various Ministries, states and union territories. On October 21, 1943 Netaji had announced the formation of the Azad Hind Government which started functioning from Singapore with 11 ministers and eight representatives from the Indian National Army. The commemorative programs witnessed participation from Indian National Army (INA) veterans, school students, local communities and others.
Union Ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Meenakshi Lekhi attended the 78th-anniversary ceremony of Azad Hind Sarkar at Red Fort. During the occasion a book titled ‘Bose: The Military Dimension: The Military History of INA and Netaji’ by General Bakshi , SM, BSM (Retd.) was also released. In Manipur, INA Family Yatra was organised between October 19 and October 22 at Moirang. Cultural programs reflecting the native dance forms coupled with songs and reflections of INA ideology was presented. The memorial building was lit up for the special commemoration.
Notably, Moirang in Manipur was the place where the Indian National Army hoisted the Tricolour for the first time on Indian soil on April 14, 1944. Similarly, cultural programmes were held in Ruzazho village in Nagaland. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had stayed in this village in the 1940s. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation of the local community in remembering Netaji and INA’s role in the freedom struggle.
Cycle rallies, road shows, seminars, exhibitions at the State Museum and cultural programs were held at Odisha’s Cuttack, the birthplace of Netaji.
A seminar on Rabindranath Tagore and Netaji’s unique relationship was organised in Kolkata. The event also saw the enactment of Tasher Desh, a play written by Tagore and dedicated to Netaji. The commemoration of Netaji is an ongoing initiative and will culminate in a grand synthesized event on his birth anniversary on January 23, 2022.
