Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s remains should be brought back to India: daughter Anita

Anita Bose-Pfaff, daughter of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, has demanded that the mortal remains of his father should be brought back to India from Japan.

While speaking at a book launch in London, Bose Bose Pfaff said, “I hope that we get closure on this matter and that we get the remains returned and I hope we can do this without controversy because that would be the worst thing we could do for Netaji’s memory.”

The book - “Laid to Rest” is written by journalist Ashish Ray which collates the findings of 11 different investigations and concludes that Bose died on August 18, 1945, in a plane crash in Taipei.

Bose-Pfaff said that she understood why people, including the family members, had been reluctant to accept this tragic account of events as there were difficulties in communicating at that time and nobody could be immediately certain of the facts.

“People like mysteries,” she added, “and my father was a romantic and tragic hero and so somehow it was not so surprising”.

Bose-Pfaff also talked about the impact on her own life of being related to such a significant political figure, explaining that living outside India meant she did not feel the pressure experienced by the children of other leaders of the freedom movement to assume political responsibilities.

“I owe it to my mother that the legacy was not too difficult. She said, your father was a great man but that doesn’t make you a great anything’. I tried to educate me to be humble,” PTI quoted her as saying.

(With PTI inputs)