WASHINGTON AND BOSE --- A STUDY IN SIMILARITY AND A FATEFUL CASE IN CONTRAST
George Washington won America independence only to surrender the power he got from it to the nation he freed. This is the soul of democracy. Rare indeed has such an instance been in world history. Had Bose returned to India victorious, this is what he would surely have done, too, is my firm conviction. Therein these two leaders of men receive my salutations.
Our leaders of the day must learn from this and serve the nation in tune with this spirit of self-sacrifice. Only then can our nation rise, our people march ahead. A mass of power-hungry, gluttonous, corrupt and unprincipled men and women masquerading as the leaders of the land can scarce lead the country to health, happiness and prosperity. They must be exposed to the lives of these supreme leaders of men like Washington and Bose to feel inspired to emulate them. If not, history will throw up better alternatives to replace them and lead our country to future glory.
Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Stalin and Mao -- each of these could have relinquished power to the people to bring health and happiness to millions. But they clung to power once they had won it and brought about untold suffering on their people and on countless others of other nationalities. This has been the sorry tale of humanity to which Washington and Bose were notable exceptions. Both were great leaders who liberated their motherlands from British tyranny and both were disinclined to impose their own will on the people they liberated by giving up their claims to the power they had won. In Washington's case it is but clearly evident from the spanning out of his political career post independence but in Bose's case it is to be read in the events of his life prior to his disappearance when as Supreme Commander of the Indian National Army he was most humane in his dealings with his men and had declared that upon achieving independence he would relinquish power to the Congress for it to decide upon the future course of governance in India. Unfortunately, history did not afford him the opportunity to fulfil what he had stated as he disappeared on the eve of independence mysteriously for good.
Another significant point of similarity between the two heroes of these two largest democracies of the world is that both led their men in battle from the front and risked all the hazards of actual combat from close on. Washington and Bose, both were in the front rank with their armies in combat and, as such, both received the love and loyalty of their soldiers. Both were men of sterling character, selfless and single-minded in their mission to achieve national independence. Both had tremendous charisma, an iron will and a dignity of spirit that never bowed down in submission to the enemy when in temporary defeat. Both also had great magnanimity of spirit which allowed them to mature into statesmen of the first order.
But what is most striking in their respective careers for achieving independence of their countries was that both sought the help of the enemy's enemy to strike at their alien occupier. While Washington sought the help of imperial France which was the colonial competitor to Britain and its age-old European enemy, Bose went for Russian, then German and eventually Japanese help to liberate his motherland, all three countries being the sworn enemies of Britain in the then historical conditions. This element of realpolitik to achieve independence was interpreted by both these leaders as valid and absolutely necessary in the prevailing political conditions. While Washington's receiving of help was incidental, the main work of wooing the French having been done by the mercurial Benjamin Franklin, Bose had to win his alliances single handed with superb diplomatic skill. In this Bose proved to the combination of Washington and Franklin and may be deemed in historical terms certainly to be not only their political peer but arguably even a shade ahead of them.
America was fortunate to get the services of Washington even after gaining freedom. India was not so lucky and the difference may be seen in the way the two nations have developed. While America dominates the world as the power preeminent, India struggles even to contain petty rogue nations like Pakistan that plays its perfidious pranks right in her neighbourhood. America has Washington to celebrate who they have honoured as one of their Founding Fathers and accorded an iconic status second to none while India has attempted to relegate Bose to a footnote of national history and to erase all his seminal contributions to freedom and the art of statecraft. The American dollar has Washington's portrait stamped on it while the India rupee has Bose nowhere on it. America's capital city is called Washington DC whereas in India's capital city there is no avenue, street or road of any eminence named after Bose.
America thrives, India flounders. And we now know why. The attitude of the common man to his heroes, what else? Pointless blaming the politicians for everything.The politician arises from the polity which is composed of the common men of the country. So you see. They are masters and we are slaves. But how long, friend, how long? Let us make a change and begin the change with ourselves. Hail America! Hail Washington! Vande Mataram! Jayatu Netaji!
Written by Sugata Bose
George Washington won America independence only to surrender the power he got from it to the nation he freed. This is the soul of democracy. Rare indeed has such an instance been in world history. Had Bose returned to India victorious, this is what he would surely have done, too, is my firm conviction. Therein these two leaders of men receive my salutations.
Our leaders of the day must learn from this and serve the nation in tune with this spirit of self-sacrifice. Only then can our nation rise, our people march ahead. A mass of power-hungry, gluttonous, corrupt and unprincipled men and women masquerading as the leaders of the land can scarce lead the country to health, happiness and prosperity. They must be exposed to the lives of these supreme leaders of men like Washington and Bose to feel inspired to emulate them. If not, history will throw up better alternatives to replace them and lead our country to future glory.
Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Stalin and Mao -- each of these could have relinquished power to the people to bring health and happiness to millions. But they clung to power once they had won it and brought about untold suffering on their people and on countless others of other nationalities. This has been the sorry tale of humanity to which Washington and Bose were notable exceptions. Both were great leaders who liberated their motherlands from British tyranny and both were disinclined to impose their own will on the people they liberated by giving up their claims to the power they had won. In Washington's case it is but clearly evident from the spanning out of his political career post independence but in Bose's case it is to be read in the events of his life prior to his disappearance when as Supreme Commander of the Indian National Army he was most humane in his dealings with his men and had declared that upon achieving independence he would relinquish power to the Congress for it to decide upon the future course of governance in India. Unfortunately, history did not afford him the opportunity to fulfil what he had stated as he disappeared on the eve of independence mysteriously for good.
Another significant point of similarity between the two heroes of these two largest democracies of the world is that both led their men in battle from the front and risked all the hazards of actual combat from close on. Washington and Bose, both were in the front rank with their armies in combat and, as such, both received the love and loyalty of their soldiers. Both were men of sterling character, selfless and single-minded in their mission to achieve national independence. Both had tremendous charisma, an iron will and a dignity of spirit that never bowed down in submission to the enemy when in temporary defeat. Both also had great magnanimity of spirit which allowed them to mature into statesmen of the first order.
But what is most striking in their respective careers for achieving independence of their countries was that both sought the help of the enemy's enemy to strike at their alien occupier. While Washington sought the help of imperial France which was the colonial competitor to Britain and its age-old European enemy, Bose went for Russian, then German and eventually Japanese help to liberate his motherland, all three countries being the sworn enemies of Britain in the then historical conditions. This element of realpolitik to achieve independence was interpreted by both these leaders as valid and absolutely necessary in the prevailing political conditions. While Washington's receiving of help was incidental, the main work of wooing the French having been done by the mercurial Benjamin Franklin, Bose had to win his alliances single handed with superb diplomatic skill. In this Bose proved to the combination of Washington and Franklin and may be deemed in historical terms certainly to be not only their political peer but arguably even a shade ahead of them.
America was fortunate to get the services of Washington even after gaining freedom. India was not so lucky and the difference may be seen in the way the two nations have developed. While America dominates the world as the power preeminent, India struggles even to contain petty rogue nations like Pakistan that plays its perfidious pranks right in her neighbourhood. America has Washington to celebrate who they have honoured as one of their Founding Fathers and accorded an iconic status second to none while India has attempted to relegate Bose to a footnote of national history and to erase all his seminal contributions to freedom and the art of statecraft. The American dollar has Washington's portrait stamped on it while the India rupee has Bose nowhere on it. America's capital city is called Washington DC whereas in India's capital city there is no avenue, street or road of any eminence named after Bose.
America thrives, India flounders. And we now know why. The attitude of the common man to his heroes, what else? Pointless blaming the politicians for everything.The politician arises from the polity which is composed of the common men of the country. So you see. They are masters and we are slaves. But how long, friend, how long? Let us make a change and begin the change with ourselves. Hail America! Hail Washington! Vande Mataram! Jayatu Netaji!
Written by Sugata Bose
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