Rare 'speeches' of Netaji make North Kolkata programme a grand success

Kolkata: Two rare records of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose containing speeches were the star attraction during a programme held in North Kolkata to celebrate his 122nd birth anniversary.

The 78 RPM is a prized possession of Amit Guha, head of Suraj Sruti Sadan in North Kolkata. The National Gramophone Record Manufacturing Company Limited in Bombay had published a 78 RPM record containing two speeches of Netaji in the late 1930s under the caption Young India (TM 8341). The record carried a signature of Subhash Chandra Bose in English.

In the speech, Netaji had asked the youth to sacrifice their lives to free India. The Bombay-based record company was one of the few Indian record manufacturing companies and the speeches ran high demand.

As an orator, Netaji used to address rallies in Kolkata attended by thousands who wanted to free India from the British rule.

The other record contains a speech in Bengali delivered by Netaji on June 25, 1943, from Tokyo Radio.

The record (H 2177) was a presentation of Netaji Research Bureau and published by Hindusthan Records.

Netaji left his residence on January 26, 1941, and reached Germany via Kabul. From Germany, he went to Tokyo in a submarine.

In his speeches, he urged his countrymen to put up united resistance against the British. "We have only one goal before us and that is to ouster the British from India," Netaji had said.

Netaji was born in January 1897 a few days after Swami Vivekananda had returned to India from the West.

He was heavily influenced by Swamiji. "Let Motherland be your only object of worship in the next 50 years," the famous words of Swami had left a permanent impression on young Subhash Chandra's mind and had the sole motive of overthrowing the British government.