The political and social analysts reasoned that the real reasons behind the misery of Indians were social evils, caste systems, untouchability, feudal system, abject poverty and illiteracy. It was the basic truth. It resulted in several reformist movements in India to fight against social evils and the illiteracy. Schools and colleges came up for education. The laws were passed banning many social evils. In this process some social reformists drew closer to the British rulers and became admirers of western culture. They advocated adoption of western education and culture by the Indians. The Christian missionaries were pouring in and opening English medium schools.
Meanwhile the British were trying to dig themselves in by winning over to their side, Rajas, Zamindars by strengthening the administration, and by creating the impression that their presence in India was essential for the progress, education and communal harmony. A good section of English educated people agreed with it. These British loyals were serving in administrations, courts as judges and lawyers, military and police high ranks, teachers in schools and colleges and as writers and journalists.
Bose family was one of them.
The family was that of the lawyer of Cuttack Mr. Janakinath Bose of Bengali origin, a product of English medium education. The lawyer Bose was a loyal subject of the colonial rulers, hence a favoured citizen.
The birth
Lawyer Janakinath Bose’s wife Prabhavati gave birth to a baby boy on 23rd January, 1897. It was the 9th child of the couple. The father saw in his son a great future Barrister or an I.C.S. officer to serve the British Empire. Jankinath Bose was a busy man. He had little time to spare for his children or the family. His wife Prabhavati was merely a shadow of her husband. The arrival of the newborn was thus a routine affair. Their’s was a joint family. So, there always was a crowd of children in the house.
The new born was christened Subhash Chandra. The baby didn’t get any special attention from the parents. But his nanny Sharda tried to give him the motherly love and care in good measure. She lovingly called her charge ‘Raja’. To Raja, Sharda was the only real person. His parents were merely dim background figures.
At the age of five Subhash was admitted to the Baptist Mission School for primary education. The teaching staff of the school mainly consisted of the English ma’ams.
Hard study and the strict discipline was the rule of the school. For many native students it was a harsh regime. But Subhash liked the disciplined and regulated life of the school. So, naturally he made good progress in his studies and earned the praise of the teachers.
His teacher Madam Sarah Lawrence often dropped in the house of Boses to report the positive progress of her pupil, young Subhash Chandra. It made the chest of Jankinath Babu swell with pride. Mother Prabhavati’s eyes would shine like stars.
The things at the school were not without any negative points. At the student level there was distinct racialism. The classes had good numbers of English and Anglo-Indian students. They were the children of the British and the Anglo-Indians who posed as the ruling class. The native brown or black boys were the targets of their racial attacks. In the most cases the native boys just pocketed the insults or ignored the remarks against them.
One day a period had ended and the teacher for the next period was yet to arrive. So, it was a mischief time. An English boy was bullying a Bengali boy, “You black monkey. Why did you touch my book with your dirty hands?”
The Bengali boy was frightened out of his wits. He was stammering, “I am sorry sir…”
The boy was begging for mercy. But the white boy was spitting abuses, “You Indian baboons! All brown monkeys. Fie on you!” And he began to tweak the ears of the hapless Bengali boy who was still apologizing with tears in his eyes.
Subhash looked at the scene seething in anger. He could not understand why the Bengali boy was not retaliating. There was a limit to everything. He kept quite like other boys as the discipline required of them and they could hear the sound of the footsteps of the teacher coming that way.
When the classes were over Subhash cornered that Bengali boy who allowed himself to be tormented by the white boy. He asked the boy why he took all those abuses meekly. They boy reasoned that the white boy’s father was a big officer who could create trouble. It was an excuse. Subhash asked the boy to stand by and see what he would do.
As the English boy walked towards the gate Subhash confronted him, “Why were you calling names to this boy and abusing Indians?”
The English boy haughtily stared at Subhash.
He hissed, “Why not? You black monkeys!”
Subhash was smaller in size compared to the English boy but he didn’t lack courage. Subhash grabbed the collar of the English boy and brought him down cursing, “You ugly white monkey!”
This encouraged the Bengali boy. He walked in and hit the floored white boy. Other native boys watched in glee. They felt great satisfaction because every boy had suffered racial taunts at one time or the other. Outgunned and outsmarted the English boy rose up and slunk away.
Strangely the English boy didn’t take revenge or retaliate in any way. Perhaps he didn’t want to admit to his friends that he had been thrashed by the native boy.
After seven years at that Mission School Subhash himself looked an impeccable English boy in behaviour and manners except his dark colour. His English speech was perfect.
But year 1909 proved a watershed year for young Subhash when he was 12 years old. He was shifted to Rovenshaw Collegiate School which had just the opposite values to the ones professed by the Mission School. The theme of this school was Indian culture and nationalism. Subhash started wearing dhoti-kurta as was the norm of the dress.
Here the principal Veni Madhavdas was an anti-British Indian nationalist who always dreamt of freeing the country from the British yoke. Young Subhash admired the principal’s love for Indian culture and nationalist teachings. His own thoughts were getting cast in the same mould.
His father Janakinath Bose was curious about it. One day he asked, “Subhash! Do you find it difficult to change over from English dress to the dhoti-kurta?”
Subhash replied, “No sir. The dhoti-kurta are symbol of our culture. I feel quite at home in the native dress. Infact, I like it.”
The school taught Bengali besides English. Subhash took keen interest in learning his mother tongue.
By nature Subhash was very kind and compassionate boy. Emotionally he was delicate. He used to see a beggaress everyday who sat on the side of the road that led to his school. Young Subhash would give some food to her out of his lunch box. It became his daily routine. The old beggaress would eagerly wait for the kind boy.
One day, Subhash found her missing from her familiar spot. He learnt that the woman had died. The sensitive boy could not eat her part of his lunch for several days.
One other time cholera broke out in a nearby village. The news of the people helplessly dying without getting proper care so moved the tender hearted Subhash that he left house for that village without telling anyone about it. In the village he saw the cruel game of death. Some relief workers and medical teams was already there. He joined the volunteers and helped the team and the workers in whatever way he could.
When he returned home he had to face his angry father. He apologized for his absence without seeking permission from the family. When he explained that he was in the village taking part in relief works his father became furious. He growled, “So, you have been mixing up with those wretched villagers and dirtying your clothes in the name of social service? Couldn’t you keep it in your mind that you were the son of Rai Bahadur Janakinath Bose? Never do anything to bring disgrace to my name.”
The father’s attitude shocked young Subhash. He couldn’t understand why helping the poor people was bad thing. But for the Rai Bahadur serving the British with loyalty was more important than serving poor natives.
It was clear that the minds of the father and the son were not on the same wave length.
This incident brought young Subhash emotionally more closer to the principal Veni Madhavdas who was anti-British nationalist. His teachings aroused patriotic feelings in Subhash who would imbibe everything he said.
Gradually Subhash evolved into a young patriot. It manifested on the 11th August, 1910. On that day, a year ago, the British had hanged the famous revolutionary, martyr Khudiram Bose for his anti-British activities.
Subhash gathered all the fellow students in the school ground and paid glowing tributes to the martyr Khudiram Bose. Subhash, in his speech, detailed the sacrifices made by Khudiram Bose. He called upon the students and the teachers to fast for the day to pay their tributes.
The principal was very impressed with the patriotic spirit of his pupil.
The authorities got wind of the happenings. As the school was government run the principal was immediately transferred to another school. The principal left behind a leader in Subhash.
Subhash and his band of volunteers took keen part in social service and relief works. During the social service outings Subhash saw all round miseries, gruelling poverty and social injustice.
His mind found solace in spiritualism. The 15 year old Subhash read Vivekananda literature as Swamiji was being hailed all over as a messiah. He learnt about Ramakrishna Mission also. The spiritual literature turned Subhash into a brooding young man. He pondered over the serious matters of the purpose of the existence and the philosophy of life. He began to behave like a man who had renounced the world. Perhaps he had become thoroughly disenchanted with the state of the affairs and the world ruled by the whitemen.
Beset with such confusions and tensions Subhash appeared in the matriculation exams and passed in 1913. But it was not a matter of pride because the marks secured by him were very low.
Infact, it was shameful for a father who was a loyal British subject. He minced no words about it. The mother, Prabhavati was also disappointed.
