Rash Behari Bose (1886-1945), Biography, Death, Contributions

Rash Behari Bose was an Indian revolutionary leader who fought British rule through secret revolutionary networks in India and international mobilisation in Japan. He was born on 25 May 1886 in Subaldaha village, Bengal. His activities included the 1912 Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy, the Ghadar movement, the Indian Independence League and the organisation of the Indian National Army.

Rash Behari Bose Biography

Rash Behari Bose was born to Binod Behari Bose and Bhubaneswari Devi and developed revolutionary ideas through education, literature and nationalist influences.

• Birth and Early Life: Rash Behari Bose was born on 25 May 1886 in Subaldaha village of Purba Bardhaman district, now in West Bengal. His early education was completed in his native village.
• Education and Influences: He studied at Dupleix College in Chandernagore, then a French colony. The French Revolution of 1789 strongly influenced his political thinking and revolutionary outlook.
• Literary Inspiration: Rash Behari Bose read Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Ananda Math, Navin Sen’s Plasir Yudha, nationalist speeches of Surendranath Banerjee and writings associated with Swami Vivekananda.
• Early Employment: He worked as a clerk at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun. During this period, he secretly established links with revolutionary groups through Amarendra Chatterjee of Jugantar.
• Revolutionary Development: The 1905 Partition of Bengal pushed him deeper into revolutionary activities. He also came under the influence of Jatin Mukherjee, popularly known as Bagha Jatin, in 1913.
• Delhi-Lahore Conspiracy: On 23 December 1912, Rash Behari Bose helped plan the bomb attack on Viceroy Lord Hardinge. Hardinge was severely injured, while Bose successfully evaded immediate arrest.
• Ghadar Movement: During the First World War, he became a leading organiser of the Ghadar Mutiny planned for 1915. The objective was to encourage mutiny among Indian soldiers and challenge British rule.
• Escape to Japan: After the failure of the 1915 uprising, Rash Behari Bose escaped British intelligence and reached Japan using the alias Priyanath Thakur. He changed identities and residences to avoid extradition.
• Life in Japan: He received support from Pan-Asian groups and later married Toshiko Soma. He became a Japanese citizen in 1923 and worked as a journalist and writer.

Rash Behari Bose Contributions

Rash Behari Bose connected revolutionary activities in India with organised international efforts and helped create institutions supporting armed resistance against British rule.

• Indian Independence League: Rash Behari Bose convened the Tokyo conference from 28 to 30 March 1942. It established the Indian Independence League to organise Indians for the freedom struggle.
• Bangkok Conference: He convened the second League conference in Bangkok on 22 June 1942. The conference resolved to invite Subhas Chandra Bose to lead the movement.
• Indian National Army: Rash Behari Bose helped organise the Indian National Army popularly known as Azad Hind Fauj in 1942 as the military wing of the Indian Independence League. Indian prisoners of war from Malaya and Burma joined it.
• Relation with Subhas Chandra Bose: Rash Behari Bose met Subhas Chandra Bose in Japan in 1924. In 1943, he handed over leadership of the League and INA to Subhas Chandra Bose.
• International Dimension: His activities in Japan secured wider Asian support for India’s independence movement. He persuaded Japanese authorities to support Indian revolutionaries during the Second World War.
• Japanese Honour: The Japanese government honoured Rash Behari Bose with the Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd class. It was the highest Japanese honour available to a foreigner at that time.

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Rash Behari Bose Death

Rash Behari Bose spent his final years in Japan while continuing to support India’s independence cause and died before the end of the Second World War.

• Death: Rash Behari Bose died on 21 January 1945 in Tokyo at the age of 59. The cause of death was tuberculosis.
• Final Honour: After his death, the Japanese Emperor sent an Imperial coach to carry his body. This reflected the recognition he had received in Japan.
• Indian Recognition: The Posts and Telegraphs Department of India issued a special postage stamp in Rash Behari Bose’s honour on 26 December 1967.
• Historical Legacy: Rash Behari Bose linked early revolutionary resistance with international organisation. His work laid an important organisational foundation for the later activities of the Indian National Army.