Patriot The Unique Indian Leader Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

It is now fairly well known that Clement Attlee regarded the I.N.A. as a primary reason for the British to leave India in 1947 in a hurry, so it is unfortunate that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's contribution to the freedom of India is not suitably recognized, and even the mystery of his death is being totally ignored. Sixty years have passed and it is time that we must do justice to this exhilarating chapter of contemporary Indian history. This book tries to serve this purpose to an extent, about which Lt. Col. Lakshmi Sahgal writes: "My colleague of the I.N.A. days in Burma, Lt. Manwati Arya ((nee Panday)...was introduced to Netaji In Rangoon by me... Her book is based on her personal experiences of him, portraying an authentic picture of his personality, his nature, and above all, the human aspect of his life, including his special consideration for women, comprising half of the nation's strength. 'She has seen him at work in the headquarters of his Government in Rangoon, In the war-time hazardous long Journey from Rangoon to Maymyo traveling together with him including his entourage and a small contingent of the Rani Jhansi Regiment and also at the Advance Headquarters in the midst of the devastating bombardments in which the Rani Jhansi Regiment suffered a direct hit on its camp.

Lt. Manwati Arya, while in her early twenties served the Provisional Government of Azad Hind as Secretary, Women's Department, in Burma and was in close touch with Netaji till he left Burma. As the only child of her parents, she was born on October 30, 1920 in Meiktila. Had her education up to I.Sc. from Rangoon (Yangon). Coming to India, was active in Forward Block between 1948 and 1952. Married Dr. K.C. Arya, Freedom Fighter and General Secretary of U.P. Forward Bloc in 1949. Earned B.A. and B.T. degrees from Agra University and M.A. (Eng.) from Kanpur University. Had two sons, both of whom enjoyed All India Merit Scholarships. Having left politics resorted to teaching and social service with her slogan Take care of the child: The nation will take care of itself. Retired as Principal, Sheiling House School, Kanpur. Worked for many social service organizations till 2000. Practices Yoga and Vipassana Meditation and keeps fit. Reads, writes, propagates Panchsheel and Eye Donation.

I am glad to know that my colleague of the I. N. A. days in Burma, Lt. Manwati Arya (nee Panday) has been asked by Mr. A. J. Sehgal of the Lotus Press, New Delhi, to write a book on Netaji. As she was introduced to Netaji in Rangoon by me, I feel a special pleasure in writing a preface to her book. It is expected to be based on her personal experiences of him, portraying an authentic picture of his personality, his nature and above all, the human aspect of his life, including his special consideratior. for women, comprising half of the nation's strength. She has seen him at work in the headquarters of his Government in Rangoon, in the war-time hazardous long journey from Rangoon to Maymyo travelling together with him including his entourage and a small contingent of the Rani Jhansi Regiment and also at the Advance Headquarters in the midst of devastating bombardments in which the Rani Jhansi Regiment suffered a direct hit on its camp. The memories of Netaji's extremely sympathetic, considerate and ever enthusing dynamic leadership, that inspired her remains as the most invaluable treasure of her life, as is the case with all of us who had the privilege to work under his direct leadership. Hence this book is expected to be more authentic and welcome than those written by the later generation of writers on the basis of research done through reading books on him. This book embodies more details of the participation of women in the Movement led by Netaji and of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, which was his unique dream- child and unfortunately, which has been so far ignored by most of the writers.

**Contents and Sample Pages**