Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose - a few questions regarding the Marriage Controversy Part 1

This topic has also been discussed at length in www.netajisubhasbose.org

Was Subhas Chandra Bose married? Well, this is a settled fact isn't it? After all, Emilie Schenkl is the wife and Anita is the daughter as per every possible source of information. But wait, this is not so simple. There are several questions that were raised in connection with the marriage. These questions come up esp. when we take it for granted that Bhagwanji, the anami saint who was in Faizabad until 1985, was no other than Subhas Chandra Bose. He also went by the name of Mahakal and features prominently in the book Oi Mahamanab Ase and more recently in the book Mahakal Kathan. His monologues also feature in Netaji-r Secret Service by Dr. Pabitra Mohan Roy.

First, the facts. The marriage was a proven affair by a letter apparently written by Subhas himself to his Mejda Sarat Bose asking him to take care of his wife and daughter in the event something happened to him as he was undertaking an uncertain journey. That letter was handed over to Sarat Bose when he visited Vienna in 1948. Even before that, first Patel and then Nehru had informed Sarat on the marriage. A.C.N Nambiar wrote a letter to Nehru on Subhas Bose's wife and offspring. Thereafter it became an established fact that Subhas had married and had a daughter. The date of marriage had a controversy around as there are three sources putting the dates at 26 Dec, 1937, 1941 and 1942. There is no confirmation as to which one is right. At first it was declared that Netaji had a son who was eight years old in 1949. In 1951 that version changed to a daughter and still she was eight years old. So a daughter born in November 1942 became the generally accepted version. It was also surmised that Subhas never disclosed about his marriage to protect his wife and daughter as Nazis strictly prohibited interracial marriage between a German and a non German. even though Emilie was technically Austrian, since Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany, she was still obliged to follow the rules. Therefore it is argued that Subhas Bose had to keep his marriage as secret. When Dr. Ba Maw asked him as to when he intended to get married and settle down, Netaji replied that all those concerns should be parked till India got her freedom. In an address to the Tokyo cadets he mentioned that "I have no son of my own.".

If we accept that Bhagwanji was Netaji we really have a problem here. Bhagwanji, in Oi Mahamanab Ase, has categorically denied that he was ever married or had daughter. He began with a general distaste for the topic, claiming it to be a conspiracy. He said, "I took a vow to remain a celibate throughout my life and then while taking a plunge towards death, fell into a ditch and injured my toes. (Doba - e pore pocha shamuke pa katlo - in Bengali - literally - fell into a ditch and got my feet injured by a rotten shell of a snail). He asked, "I hate to discuss this topic. That man who is trying to jump into fire, will he be such a stone hearted assassin that he would go to marry a lady. ...and he left his wife and infant child in fire ...and that woman also agreed? when did I ever write to my brothers in Bengali? And day, date, place below the content of the letter - has never happened with me." He continued, "if any person is doing crucial hazardous work, he cannot live with a woman. If he lives with a woman during that time he will be finished. Any secret work, hazardous work has to be done by one, if two are involved that work will be undone." The last quote in this respect was, "The letter is a forgery, from my childhood days in every letter there was an auspicious symbol."

In Mahakal Kathan, another Bengali book written on the basis of the journals or notes taken by his disciples including Dr. Pabitra Mohan Roy, he mentions casually, "If a Scotland Yard officer's daughter becomes Anita Bose, then how is it surprising that Ma Durga becomes Miss Margaret?", in the context of an image of Durga found in a Swiss cave that is worshiped as the Lady of the Ludes.

When Lakshmi Swaminathan and Prem Sahgal were getting engaged and thinking of marrying, Netaji had apparently remarked, "How did these two get time for such things?"

It is to be noted that A.C.N Nambiar, whom Subhas Bose trusted, did not actually play a very loyal character. He became very close to Nehru, and later to Indira who called him as Nanu. He was accused of being honeytrapped and spending very less time for the work that Subhas had entrusted him with, by his colleagues. The sad end of Indian Legion is only too well known. It is alleged that he used to send misleading and false reports to Subhas on German success, apparently to hoodwink the British intelligence.

Few arguments against Netaji's compulsion of keeping his marriage secret - 1. Emilie and Anita were never in mortal danger. It is unbelievable that the Nazis who gave Bose every kind of facility as a head of state would have posed any difficulty in his getting married to an Austrian. Hitler himself was favourably disposed towards Bose and Nazi Government accepted his every condition on the India Office and Indian Legion and kept their words.

2. Why would Netaji hide it in a private conversation with Dr. Ba Maw? That would be done only by a compulsive liar and Netaji was not a liar. People like A.M Nair had tried to point out his weakness of character on the basis of this hypothesis that he kept his marriage as secret as he thought that it would undermine his popularity. This is uncharacteristic of Netaji. He would not hid anything for the sake of selfish, personal gain

3. Why would he not inform Sarat Bose beforehand? He had plenty of opportunities to send a secret messenger. Infact he had sent Bhagwan Loo for a personal despatch to Sarat Bose

4. He had nothing to fear from British intelligence - why would British do anything to his wife and daughter? They did not do anything to the family members of any other revolutionary including Rashbehari's

It is to be noted that the information was kept secret until the possibility of Netaji's return appeared to be dim, until India Government took charge and his death was an accepted fact (fait accompli) in Government circle. Conveniently Emilie's letter to Sarat Bose was with British Intelligence for two years. And therefore the argument that Subhas tried to protect his wife and daughter from British intelligence falls flat, because they already knew if they had the letter with them. So the fact that they did nothing proves that they had no such letter till Subhas was still around. Only after Subhas's confirmed disappearance the letter would appear from nowhere.

It is true that Sarat Bose went to Vienna and met subhas's family according to his children. However for strange reason he refused to talk about it on his return and apparently he told an acquaintance that he had been deceived. The other brother, Sejda Suresh Bose never believed that Subhas was married and had a child.

Bhagwanji made a very serious claim, that one of his nephews took around 2 crores from Nehru by his constant harping on the theme "he is married and he is dead." The theory of marriage took its centerstage from a section of the Bose family and was corroborated by the British, the persons who were hostile to Subhas and those who dreaded his return. If Shyamlal Jain's testimony in Khosla commission is to be believed, then Nehru had no apparent reason to be a patron saint to Subhas Bose's family. Why Bhagwanji was so bitter about Nehru if the latter was protecting his family?

The original Bengali letter of Subhas was not produced and is missing. Bhagwanji claimed it to be a forgery and cited clear reasons for the same (points already discussed) on the basis of which a PIL was filed in Calcutta High Court by Surajit Dasgupta. Patel's opposition and distrust of Subhas Bose is well known so it is little wonder that he wanted to undermine Subhas Bose's saintly image.

Is there any way to disprove the claim that entire marriage and child episode was a concoction to undermine Subhas's popularity and character in India subtly in front of his admirers? There is nothing wrong in marrying or having children, but it certainly diminishes his stature if he is proved to have lied and kept it a secret. That is also reflected in A.M Nair's assessment of Subhas. How do we not believe that Nehru and Patel played along with British to undermine the saint like status of Bose in the event he came back? And how do we not believe that Government of India drew few family members to its side by coercing or bribing them? we do not have any answer. But given Bhagwanji's claims, it is quite clear that there was a huge conspiracy, perhaps hatched in order to ensure that Subhas Chandra Bose was never able to return to Indian politics and claim his legitimate place.