Chitrabhanu Man with Vision

Author(s): Clare Rosenfield
Publisher: Jain Meditation International Centre New York

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Violence Breeds Violence
It was late in the summer of 1940. The Freedom Movement begun by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi continued to gather momentum. At this point in time, the revered old leader was unable to assuage all the fiery tempers and voices of opposition to his gradual non-violent approach.
One of the most vocal of these voices was that of Subhash Chandra Bose. As Congress President in 1938 and 1939, he had made efforts to temper his impatience and work in harmony with Gandhi. But now he was unable to quell his mounting anger and desire for immediate results. Freedom, in his opinion, was not something one begs for or waits for; it was something to be taken. And so he called out for revolution.
When he had presided over Congress, Bose had wanted Gandhi's approval for delivering an ultimatum to Great Britain's government to ask for autonomy within six months or else call for countrywide civil disobedience. He had grasped the crucial timing of this demand —- when Britain was about to plunge into the Second World War. Bose felt it was time for India to look out for herself.
The Mahatma had not been able to agree to such an ultimatum. He had too much compassion for the British to strike at them from behind when they themselves were threatened with war. Bose had had no choice but to resign from the Congressional Presidency.
Now within a month of his resignation, Bose was in the process of founding an extremist wing of the Congress Party, called the Forward Bloc. Through it, he planned to gather together the radical thinkers of the country and mobilize them into action. Completely devoted to his cause, he became at times driven by emotion, and when events turned out contrary to his plan, he became exasperated
He found support in many of the restless youth who were anxious for instant results. Many of these young listeners were mesmerized by his dynamic eloquence.
"Ideas will work out their own destiny," he had claimed in
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