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Friday, 11 September 2015

Netaji and Gumnami Baba: Two facets of the same coin?
Netaji and Gumnami Baba: Two facets of the same coin?
According to Saraswati Devi who used to take care of Gumnami Baba , he entered
India sometimes in 1955 from Nepal with the the help of her father Mahadeo
Prasad Mishra, a Sanskrit teacher. He resided anonymously in a rented
accommodation at Shringar Nagar,Lucknow for two years.He moved to Neemsar
,Sitapur in 1957 and lived untill 1963 in an abandoned Shivalaya. It was here
that he was spotted by a Netaji associate Atul Sen. Atul Sen had contested
legislative election from Dacca constituency on Netajis insistence and won in
pre-independence days. In 1962, he was touring pilgrimage Centres of U P. When he
reached Neemsar, locals told him about a Bengali Mahatma who lived in a
shivalaya. After several attempts he could meet Mahatma.It is said Sen
recognized who he was.
After returning to Kolkata, Atul Sen disclosed the news to Pabitra Mohan Roy a
close aid of Netaji and historian R C Majumdar. Later Atul Sen wrote to Prime
Minister Pandit Nehru also on 28/08/1962 that Netaji was residing with spiritual
inclinations somewhere in India. From his talks with Netaji, he could comprehend
that he was regarded as enemy no.1 of Allied powers and there was some secret
protocol that bounded Indian Govt. to handover Netaji to Allied justice if he
was found alive. If an assurance was given by Prime Minister Pandit Nehru , Atul
Sen could make efforts to persuade Netaji to come to open life. In his reply
dated 31/08/1962, Pandit Nehru denied that there was any such protocol. Netaji
researchers point out documents referred in Transfer of Power ,Vol.-VI that
points out British Govt.s suspicion that Netaji was alive even after the said
Taihoku plan crash of 18/08/1945. A top secret letter to Sur E Jenkins dtd.
23/08/1945 by Sr. F Mudie,home member-Viceroys executive council shows that
five days after the said Taihoku aircrash, the British were discussing about
taking a decision on the fate of Netaji as a war criminal.
Pabitra Mohan Roy told about the Ascetic to Lila Roy a former associate of
Netaji. Lila Roy was able to contact Gumnami Baba . According to Shrikant Sharma
Kanha when Lila Roy wanted to meet him, the Ascetic requested her not to visit
Neemsar and told he was happy there. He explained that if his identity was
disclosed, neither the country nor the public nor he himself would benefit as
India would not be able to stand before big powers. Yet, Lila Roy kept in touch
with the Ascetic. On 07/09/1963 Lila Roy informed Dilip Roy, Netajis college
days friend that his friend was alive and he was in India. It is said that she
did so on Gumnami Babas instructions. She helped him through emissaries who
carried a brief note from her to assure about their trustworthiness. Money apart,
items like Phillips Transistor, National Panasonic Tape Recorder, chronomtre,
German binoculars were sent to the Ascetic .The Ascetic used coded messages to
give information to the emissaries about his place of stay. Nephew of Lila Roy,
Bijoy Nag was also used as an emissary. Bijoy Nag gathered photographs of
Netajis mother,father and school teacher and handed over the same to Gumnami
Baba on his request.
Netajis elder brother Suresh Chandra Bose had entrusted one Sunil Gupta an
associate of Netaji with the task of searching out for him. Where so ever there
used to be rumour about Netaji he would go but returned disappointed. But he
came back satisfied after meeting the ascetic at Neemsar in 1962. When he told
his follower Surajit Dasgupta that contact has been made, Dasgupta suspected he
had accomplished his mission of searhing out for Netaji. Since then Sunil Gupta
used to visit Gumnami Baba atleast twice a year- on 23rd of January,Netajis
Birthday and during Durga Puja. It has come to be known that some family members
of Netaji and close people also used to visit Gumnami Baba on 23rd of January. It
was later in 1982 only, that Sunil Gupta allowed Surajit Dasgupta to accompany
him to meet with the ascetic who resided then at Ayodhya. Baba had given
instructions that no one should look towards him and used to draw a curtain
between him and the visitors. After sometimes ,he developed faith in Dasgupta and
stopped drawing curtain. On such occasion Dasgupta stole a glance on Baba and
immediately believed that he was none other than Netaji. Later, Gumnami Baba
became informal with Surajit Dasgupta and he talked about Netajis escape to
U S S R via Daren in Manchuria after a concocted air crash. He talked vividly
about prison camps of Siberia.
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Research on Gumnami Baba reveals that some times in 1963 he shifted to Darshan
Nagar area of Faizabad. Thereafter until his death in 1985 he resided at
different places in vicinity of Faizabad and Ayodhya (1965 to
66-Lalkothi,Ayodhya; 1966 to 73 -Shrista,Purani Basti; 1973 to 75-Lucknow Hatta
at Ayodhya; 1975 to 1976-Brahma Kund Ayodhya; 1976 to 78 Lucknow Hatta at
Ayodhya; 1978-73 Chhoti Deokali Ayodhya; 1983-85 Ram Bhawan,Faizabad.
Following are the reasons for some persons claiming that Gumnami Baba was
NetajiI)
Before one Santosh Bhattacharya who was an emissary of
Lila Roy and had seen Netaji from close quarters at Manikganj in 1940 ( Now in
Bangladesh), Gumnami Baba commented in 1963 that he was the man who had
tirelessly spent two days to spread the news that that Netaji was coming to
address a meeting at Manikganj.
II)
Lila Roy sent one Anil Das, another emissary alongwith a
note that he had met Netaji in Japan. After reading the note, Gumnami Baba
commented to Anil Das He had met Netaji not only at that time. He met him at
Singapore as well.Anil Das was stunned as it was true.
III)
Lila Roy had mentioned in a note to an emissary Apurba Ghosh
that he was a member of reception Committee at Manikganj. Gumnami Baba asked
Apurba Ghosh if he was the man who presented Netaji with a comb when he came out
of the bathroom at Kutcharibari. When Apurba Ghosh replied in affirmative,Gumnami
Baba asked him if he had seen Netaji smiling. Again after Apurba Ghosh confirmed
the fact, Gumnami Baba told that he was smiling because instead of offering it on
a plate or dish ,he had offered it with bare hands.He enquired from him about
Bahadur,a durwan at Netajis Elgin Road Residence and a portrait of Goddess Kali
in Netajis living room.
IV)
Prof.V.N. Arora who is among the first of researchers
regarding Gumnami Baba tells an incident. One
Ram Kishore Panda used to take
care of Gumnami Baba during his stay at a place in Ayodhya.The house had no
electricity. It was winter and Gumnami Baba was sleeping inside a room, while Ram
Kishore Panda was outside with an earthen firepot for warming himself .
Sometimes in the night when Ram Kishore awoke, it occurred to him that Baba may
be feeling cold. He asked Baba if he needed the firepot for warming purposes.
Baba replied his body had resided in Siberia so it did not need warmth.
V)
One Durga Prasad Pandey had seen Netaji in Lucknow during his
student days at Lucknow in 1940-41. He served Gumnami Baba for 9 years. He
deposed before the Mukherjee Commission that both were the same person.
VI)
Like Durga Prasad Pandey ,Shrikant Sharma Kanha ,witness no. 40
before the Mukherjee Commisssion insisted that he had seen Netaji in 1939-40 and
Bhagawanji in Neemsar and he firmly believed that Bhagawanji ( Gumnami Baba) was
Netaji himself.
Among the articles that have been found at Ram Bhawan in the room where Gumnami
Baba resided in his last days there are letters of former U P Chief Minister Late
Sampoornanand,another former Chief Minister of U P Banarasi Das Gupta, former
Railway Minister Abdul Ghani Khan Chowdhuri ,telegrams to P.M.Roy,and some
letters of other political personalities.There is one map page showing route to
India from Russia via China with all geographical coordinates-latitudes and
longitudes. There are family photographs of Netaji,photos of Goddess Kali,Swami
Ram Krishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekananda, round framed spectacle, pens, smoking
pipes and cigarettes. Postage stamps marking 25th anniversary of I N A. The
articles which were sent to him at Neemsar by Lila Roy have been found at Ram
Bhawan also.There are books like Himalayan Blunder and between the
lines.There are cuttings of a bengali daily related to an article
namelyTaihoku Plane disaster,a concocted story.There has been found photograph
of a youngman. Netajis niece Lalita Bose identified the photograph as that of
her uncle Subhash. Lalita Bose visited Ram Bhawan in in February 1986 and started
weeping looking on the articles of Gumnami Baba telling that they belonged to
her uncle Subhash. Later on the suggestion of the then chief minister of U.P.
Vir Bahadur Singh, she moved to court to get the items preserved.
It should now be clear why Justice Mukerjee told in an off-record talk to a
journalist that he was almost sure that Gumnami Baba was Netaji. Yet it is a
mystery why he did not carry forward his belief in the Commissions report and
described posting of his off-record talk on the u-tube as a breach of faith. Yet
Justice Mukherjee hinted towards this fact in his report- Apparantly there is no
reason for not acting or relying upon the evidence of witnesses, particularly
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those who had seen Netaji before 1945 and also met Bhagawanji or Gumnami Baba
face to face on a number of occasions, more so when their evidence regarding the
frequent visits of some freedom fighters and some politicians and former members
of I N A on January 23 and Durga Puja festival is supported by the fact that
letters written by them including Professor Samar Guha, Pabitra Mohan Roy,and
Lila Roy were found in Ram bhawan, Faizabad. Mukherjee Commission Report also
criticized Government of India for not cooperating with it.
It is a mater of some satisfaction for Netaji researchers that on the orders of
Allahabad High Court regarding a case filed by Netajis niece Lalita Bose a
museum is finally being set up at Ayodhya to preserve the items found at Gumnami
Baba residence. The U.P. Government has sanctioned an amount of Rs. 11.5 crore
for a museum-cum memorial.The court has also ordered the U. P. Govt. to form a
committee of experts under a retired high court judge to hold an enquiry
regarding identity of Late Gumnami Baba.
Now like the earstwhile Congress Govt., even the B J P Govt. is declining to
disclose contents of files on Netaji, citing the reason that relations with some
foreign countries would be affected. The question arises which are these
countries. Let us go through possibilities : 1. Japan( It was Japan which
confirmed the Taihoku plane crash which never took place as per Mukherjee
Commission) or, 2.Russia ( If Russia sent Subhash first to Gulag and later
released him under a tacit understanding without bringing it to knowledge of
allied powers and now,if facts are disclosed by the Government of India ,Russia
may think a promise of keeping Subhash story under wraps has been broken) or,3.
UK ( as per several reports British knew that Subhash was in Russia and they
conspired to mislead Stalin so that he was sent to Gulag. If Subhash was released
without their knowledge , they are bound to feel offended ) or,4. U S A (which
has been chasing all the NAZI allies after World War II, to bring them to allied
justice and same may be the U S As case for Subhash also). Of the above, the
reasons given under no.3 and no. 4 look more plausible to me. Japan role is
limited to World War II while earstwhile U S S R is now disintegrated and present
Russian Govt. has got nothing to do with what was done by the previous regimes.
Posted by Sanjay Tripathi at 10:31
Source:
http://sanjayitx.blogspot.in/2015/09/netaji-and-gumnami-baba-two-facets-of.html

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