On October 21, 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose announced the formation of the Provisional Government of Azad Hind. Mission Netaji is thankful to The Netaji Centre, Kuala Lumpur for the text of the proclamation.
After their first defeat at the hands of the British in 1757 in Bengal, the Indian people fought an uninterrupted series of hard and bitter battles over a stretch of one hundred years. The history of this period teems with examples of unparalleled heroism and self-sacrifice. And, in the pages of that history, the names of Sirajuddaula and Mohanlal of Bengal, Haider Ali, Tippu Sultan and Velu Tampi of South India, Appa Sahib Bhonsle and Peshwa Baji Rao of Maharashtra, the Begums of Oudh, Sardar Shyam Singh Atariwala of Punjab and last, but not the least, Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, Tantia Tope, Maharaja Kunwar Singh of Dumraon and Nana Sahib - among others - the names of all these warriors are for ever engraved in letters of gold.
Unfortunately for us, our forefathers did not at first realize that the British constituted a grave threat to the whole of India, and they did not therefore put up a united front against the enemy. Ultimately, when the Indian people were roused to the reality of the situation, they made a concerted move and under the flag of Bahadur Shah in 1857, they fought there last war as free men. In spite of a series of brilliant victories in the early stages of this war, ill-luck and faulty leadership gradually brought about their final collapse and subjugation. Nevertheless, such heroes as the Rani of Jhansi, Tantia Tope, Kunwar Singh and Nana Sahib live like eternal stars in the nation\\'s memory to inspire us to greater deeds of sacrifice and valour.
Forcibly disarmed by the British after 1857 and subjected to terror and brutality, the Indian people lay prostrate for a while-but with the rebirth of the Indian National Congress in 1885, there came a new awakening. From 1885, until the end of the last World War, the Indian people in their endeavor to recover their lost liberty, tried all possible methods- namely agitation and propaganda, boycott of British goods, terrorism and sabotage - and finally armed revolution. But all these efforts failed for a time. Ultimately in 1920, when the Indian people haunted by a sense of failure, were groping for a new method, Mahatma Gandhi came forward with the new weapon of non-co-operation and civil disobedience.
For two decades thereafter, the Indian people went through a phase of intense patriotic activity. The message of freedom was carried to every Indian home. Through personal example, people were taught to suffer, to sacrifice and to die in the cause of freedom. From the centre of the remotest villages, the people were knit together into one political organization.
Thus the Indian people not only recovered their political consciousness but became a political entity once again. They could now speak with one voice and strive with one will for one common goal. From 1937 to 1939, through the work of the Congress Ministers in eight provinces, they gave proof of the readiness and their capacity to administer their own affairs.
Thus, on the eve of the present World War, the stage was set for the final struggle for India\\'s liberation. During the course of this war, Germany with the help of her allies has dealt shattering blows to our enemy in Europe - while Nippon, with the help of her allies, has inflicted a knockout blow to our enemy in East Asia. Favored by a most happy combination of circumstances, the Indian people today have a wonderful opportunity for achieving their national emancipation.
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