Netaji`s contribution towards India`s Freedom struggle was of a revolutionary. Inspite of securing high ranking in the merit list Subhas Chandra Bose resigned from the prestigious Indian Civil Service in April 1921, and went on to become an active member of India`s independence movement. He joined the Indian National Congress, under the influence of Gandhiji and was particularly active in its youth wing.

Subhas Chandra Bose was born on 23rd Jan, 1897 in Cuttack, Orissa India. During his service with the Indian National Congress, he was greatly influenced by Lokmanya Tilak and Sri Aurobindo. He did not agree with Gandhiji`s methods of achieving Independence through non-violence. Subhas Chandra Bose believed that the only way of achieving Independence was by shedding blood. He therefore returned to Calcutta to work under Chittaranjan Das, the Bengali freedom fighter and co-founder (with Motilal Nehru) of the Swaraj Party.He was imprisoned for his revolutionary activities on various occasions.In 1921, Bose organized a boycott of the celebrations to mark the visit of the Prince of Wales to India for which he was imprisoned for the first time.

Bose was elected to the post of Chief Executive Officer of the newly constituted Calcutta Corporation in April 1924.That same year in October, Bose was arrested on suspicion of terrorism. At first, he was kept in Alipore Jail and later he was exiled to Mandalay in Burma (where earlier Bal Gangadhar Tilak had spent 6 years in prison). Bose was once again arrested on January, 1930 for leading an "independence procession", remonstrating against British rule in India. After his release from jail on September 25, he was elected as the Mayor of the City of Calcutta.

Netaji was imprisoned eleven times by the British over a span of 20 years either in India or in Rangoon. During the mid 1930s he was exiled by the British from India to Europe where he championed India`s cause and aspiration for self-rule before gatherings and conferences. British authorities allowed him to return after his father`s death. He landed at Calcutta`s airport only for the religious rites, and was sent back to Europe. Throughout his stay in Europe from 1933 to 1936, he met several European leaders and thinkers. After meeting these great men Bose came to believe that India needed to attain political, military and diplomatic support from outside in order to achieve political freedom.

He traveled extensively in India and in Europe before stating his political opposition to Gandhi. Subhash Chandra Bose married Emilie Schenkl, an Austrian born national, who was his secretary, in 1937 in German. According to Schenkl, she and Bose were secretly married in Bad Gastein on 26 December 1937. They had one daughter, Anita, born in 1942. Bose wrote many letters to Schenkl during the period 1934-1942, of which many have been published in the book "Letters to Emilie Schenkl", edited by Sisir Kumar Bose and Sugata Bose.

Subhas Chandra Bose became the president of the Haripura Indian National Congress against the wishes of Gandhiji in 1938. He was elected as the president for two consecutive terms. Expressing his disagreement with Bose, Gandhi commented "Subhas` victory is my defeat". Gandhi`s continued opposition led to Netaji`s resignation from the Working Committee, this brought about the possibility that the rest of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) would resign. Bose himself resigned in the face of this gesture of no-confidence, and was left with no alternative but to form an independent party, the "All India Forward Bloc".

In his call to freedom, Subhas Chandra Bose encouraged full participation of the Indian Masses to strive for independence. He continued to call for the full and immediate independence of India from British rule. His stance did not change even with the outbreak of World War II, as he saw it as an opportunity to take advantage of British weakness. Bose also initiated the concept of the "National Planning Committee" in 1938. His correspondence reveals that despite his clear dislike …for British subjugation, he was deeply impressed by their methodical and systematic approach and their steadfastly disciplinarian outlook towards life.Bose pleaded the approach that the political instability of war-time Britain should be taken as an advantage of rather than simply wait for the British to grant independence after the end of the war.

The contrast between Gandhi and Bose is captured with reasonable measure in a saying attributable to him ""If people slap you once, slap them twice". Having failed to persuade Gandhi for the mass civil disobedience to protest against Viceroy Lord Linlithgow`s decision to declare war on India`s behalf without consulting the Congress leadership, he organised mass protests in Calcutta. The disobedience was calling for the `Holwell Monument` commemorating the Black Hole of Calcutta. He was thrown in Jail and was released only after a seven-day hunger strike.

Bose`s house in Calcutta was kept under surveillance by the British.With two pending court cases; he felt that the British would not let him leave the country before the end of the war. This set the scene for Bose`s escape to Germany, via Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. Bose escaped from under British surveillance at his house in Calcutta. He had never been to Afghanistan, and could not speak the local tribal language (Pashto). With the assistance of a German intelligence organization (from 1921 to 1944) the Abwehr, he made his way to Peshawar Cantonment station where he met Akbar Shah, Mohammed Shah and Bhagat Ram Talwar.

Bose was taken to the home of Abad Khan, a trusted friend of Akbar Shah. On 26 January 1941, Bose began his journey to reach Russia through India`s North West frontier with the help of few Afghanis. Since Bose could not speak one word of Pashto, it would make him an easy target of Pashto speakers working for the British. For this reason, Shah suggested that Bose act deaf and dumb, and let his beard grow to mimic those of the tribesmen.

Aga Khan`s supporter helped him to cross the border. Once in Russia the leading secret police organization of the Soviet Union transported Bose to Moscow where he hoped that Russia`s traditional enmity to British rule in India would result in support for his plans for a popular rising in India. Bose traveled to Moscow on the passport of an Italian nobleman "Count Orlando Mazzotta". However, Bose found the Soviets` response disappointing. Without wasting time he moved to the German Ambassador in Moscow. The German Ambassador had immediately arranged for an aircraft in which Bose flew to Berlin. He received a more favorable response there.

In Germany he instituted the Special Bureau for India under Adam von Trott zu Solz, broadcasting on the German-sponsored Azad Hind Radio. Here he founded the "Free India Centre" in Berlin, and created the Indian Legion consisting of some 4500 soldiers who were the Indian prisoners of war. The soldiers had previously fought for the British in North Africa prior to their capture by Axis forces.