01-30-2005, 01:58 AM
Who is this dude ?
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Gunter Grass wonders about Netaji
- By Sanjoy Bhadra
Kolkata, Jan. 28: In what may trigger a major controversy, Nobel laureate Gunter Grass on Friday wondered aloud why West Bengal regarded Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as a hero given that he was associated with the Nazis and Japanese military dictators during World War II.
Grass, who since his first novel The Tin Drum (1959) virtually became the literary spokesman of the generation which grew up in Nazi-era Germany, found it a "terrible metaphor."
"Bose went to Germany and sought Hitlerâs help to form his force. He travelled in a German submarine to keep away from the Allied forces. Bose also sought the help of the Japanese, but no one seems to be critical of him. On the contrary, he is held in high esteem in Bengal," the celebrated author said.
Grass, who had last visited Kolkata in 1986, said he had always been puzzled by why Netaji was hero-worshipped in Bengal. "Given his association with the Nazis and the Japanese, why people in Bengal admire Bose instead of being critical about him beats me," he said.
Grass, who is aware of the Gandhi-Bose divide in pre-Independent India, said that in his opinion Mahatma Gandhi "was a greater leader, and more successful." Grass was speaking at an informal meeting with contemporary Bengali writers, including Nilanjan Chattopadhyay, Bhagirat Mishra and Atun Bandopadhyay, at the Kolkata Book Fair.
During his last visit in 1986-87, Grass had stayed for nearly six months in the city, a visit which had resulted in his controversial book Show Your Tongue, in which he had depicted Kolkata in a very poor light. But this has apparently not led to any great animosity against Grass in the city, which has again welcomed the author with open arms on his current visit.
Although he is greatly admired by the cityâs literati, his uncomplimentary views about Netaji, an icon to most Bengalis, did not go unchallenged. A popular Bengali novelist argued that Netaji had become a folk hero to Bengalis. "We regard him as a highly courageous adventurer who dedicated his life to ridding the country of foreign rule," he said.
Retorted Grass: "Even Robinson Crusoe was my childhood hero." The differences in opinion did not, however, spoil the atmosphere of bonhomie. Another Bengali writer said that "Netaji was rather a rare character in Bengalâs history." Grass chose not to reply, but simply smiled. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Gunter Grass wonders about Netaji
- By Sanjoy Bhadra
Kolkata, Jan. 28: In what may trigger a major controversy, Nobel laureate Gunter Grass on Friday wondered aloud why West Bengal regarded Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as a hero given that he was associated with the Nazis and Japanese military dictators during World War II.
Grass, who since his first novel The Tin Drum (1959) virtually became the literary spokesman of the generation which grew up in Nazi-era Germany, found it a "terrible metaphor."
"Bose went to Germany and sought Hitlerâs help to form his force. He travelled in a German submarine to keep away from the Allied forces. Bose also sought the help of the Japanese, but no one seems to be critical of him. On the contrary, he is held in high esteem in Bengal," the celebrated author said.
Grass, who had last visited Kolkata in 1986, said he had always been puzzled by why Netaji was hero-worshipped in Bengal. "Given his association with the Nazis and the Japanese, why people in Bengal admire Bose instead of being critical about him beats me," he said.
Grass, who is aware of the Gandhi-Bose divide in pre-Independent India, said that in his opinion Mahatma Gandhi "was a greater leader, and more successful." Grass was speaking at an informal meeting with contemporary Bengali writers, including Nilanjan Chattopadhyay, Bhagirat Mishra and Atun Bandopadhyay, at the Kolkata Book Fair.
During his last visit in 1986-87, Grass had stayed for nearly six months in the city, a visit which had resulted in his controversial book Show Your Tongue, in which he had depicted Kolkata in a very poor light. But this has apparently not led to any great animosity against Grass in the city, which has again welcomed the author with open arms on his current visit.
Although he is greatly admired by the cityâs literati, his uncomplimentary views about Netaji, an icon to most Bengalis, did not go unchallenged. A popular Bengali novelist argued that Netaji had become a folk hero to Bengalis. "We regard him as a highly courageous adventurer who dedicated his life to ridding the country of foreign rule," he said.
Retorted Grass: "Even Robinson Crusoe was my childhood hero." The differences in opinion did not, however, spoil the atmosphere of bonhomie. Another Bengali writer said that "Netaji was rather a rare character in Bengalâs history." Grass chose not to reply, but simply smiled. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->