A hologram monument to one of India’s most celebrated independence figures was illuminated on Sunday in a tribute to a nationalist leader who advocated violent resistance to colonial rule. Subhas Chandra Bose was a contemporary of Mahatma Gandhi but broke with the pacifist icon and sought alliances with Nazi Germany and Japan to overthrow the British Raj during World War II. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who presided over the unveiling, said India was indebted to “the grand hero of India’s independence”. Bose — popularly known as “Netaji”, or “leader” — was renowned in his lifetime for his popularity and charisma. With World War II raging, Bose escaped British surveillance to travel from India to Germany in 1941, later sailing in a submarine back to Asia to group surrendered Indian army troops into the rebel Indian National Army.

Source: The Guardian January 23, 2022 15:21 UTC