Netaji- Subhash Chandra Bose

[Husky]

^



Wasn't there some sort of controversy about him not being married and not having any kids - as per the Indian view, when news of a daughter surfaced? People here probably know all the details, but hunting down the article again so I can parrot it correctly.



This next German site - see below - tells us that the nationalist Bose did the uh ... nationalist thing: got married "as per Indian rites" (<- :grrrr to his secretary, the Austrian Emilie Schenkl, and thus fathered one Anita Pfaff. She's a Political Economics professor @ Augsburg University. And is married to one Martin Pfaff who she met in India. He's: also Prof of Political Economics, something official at the something-something German Parliament, *and* "social worker" who "amongst other things founded a house for the blind in Bangalore".

(Anyone here checked whether his social work leanings in Bangalore tended in any ... missionary directions?)





1. www.uk-muenchen.de/berichte/reportagen_bose.htm

19. August 2000

Note, just an extract. Original at link

[...]

<Blablabla - her heart's grown attached to her father's country

She (Anita) never got to know her dad.... she feels deeply about his life/works/tragic course of life and death>



She's professor of (Political) Economy @ uni of Augsburg.



Her mother Emilie Schenkl - worked for the Post office - is from Vienna (Austria).



(Vienna) is where she (Emilie Schenkl, Mrs Bose) got to know SCBose in the 1930s. Bose, who was working as an author at this time, appointed her as secretary. Certainly, many would not give her recognition because of her background. Nevertheless, she succeeded to establish herself in her husband's family.

[color="#800080"](So that means his family must have documentation on her being his wife?)[/color]

(This next always gets me, why is applying Hindu rites where inapplicable OK?) [color="#0000FF"]They got married as per Indian rituals.[/color]

Then they went to Berlin. In 1943, SC Bose left Germany, heading towards Japan. He never saw his wife again.

She lived until 1996, when she died as an 86-year old at her daughter's place in Augsburg-Leitershoften. At Bose's death, his daughter Anita was but a few weeks old. Even though she had few personal memories of the freedom fighter, she is much preoccupied with India and her father.



On a trip there (India), she got to know her current husband, the (Political) Economist and also Augsburger SPD-German Parliament Representative Professor Martin Pfaff. Between 1958-1962 he worked as social worker in the vicinity of Bangalore, founding - among other things - a school for the Blind.



Which historical role does Anita Pfaff assign to her dad? "That India succeeded into getting its independence in 1947, that's something the country owes to the men and women such as my father, such as Nehru, Gandhi and my uncle Sarat Bose." This academic tells us that her father still enjoys high standing in India. In many houses, his pictures would hang on the wall. "There are memorials, postmarks and coinage with his image. Even streets are named after him," informs the 57-year old. She repeatedly vists the country, also on invitation of its government. Today the Professor in (Political) Economy teaches at the uni of Augsburg. Only recently she was appointed to the census (?) commission "Demographic Change" by German-parliament president Wolfgang Thierse.

(And pic of gravestone for "5 unknown soldiers" of the Indian Legion buried in Friedhof.

Buried. In some alien country. What a way to go.)

Little Sympathy.

Back to Bose. He was received only once by Adolf Hitler. Who had little sympathy for the coloured Indian.

(Too easy to comment.

The rest of the para is not relevant, but, for the fans

Bose, who had been mayor <insert the applicable angelsk term in context> of Kolkata before and had studied in England's Cambridge, was forced to quickly realise that he wouldn't reach his objective with Hitler's help. And so he decided to <call it quits> (or whatever angelsk phrase fits with "break up his tent"). With the U180 (a U-boat), he went to Japan.

Yeah I quit. I never gave a hoot about these characters, so the fans can find someone who actually *knows* the lingo. Can't even be bothered eyeballing over the rest of the article again to remind myself if it contained anything else of interest.





<snipped questions on with what evidence Anita Pfaff was crowned daughter by the tabloids and govt. Point #4 below: apparently the govt gives the run-around to people requesting the Right To Information on it.>



2. www.rediff.com/news/2005/may/11inter.htm

The Rediff Interview/Anita Bose Pfaff

May 11, 2005

Shyam Benegal's film Bose - The Forgotten Hero releases on May 13, but already finds itself in the midst of controversy. The All-India Forward Bloc has protested against the depiction of events in Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's life, including his marriage and death. [color="#FF0000"]Other researchers say they will file a case against the film, because they insist that Bose did not marry, and had no children.[/color]



In an exclusive interview, first published in India Abroad, the newspaper owned by rediff.com, last year, Anita Bose Pfaff, Netaji's only child, spoke to Shyam Bhatia about her father's legacy.



[...]

Anita Bose Pfaff, Netaji's only child, was born in Vienna, her mother's city, which her father visited in 1934 for medical treatment. During his stay Netaji asked an Indian friend to locate an English-speaking secretary to help him with a book he was planning to write.



The friend, who ran an English conversation course, introduced him to Emilie Schenkl in June 1934. Emilie was the daughter of a prominent veterinary surgeon. They soon fell in love and married in December 1937 in Bad Gastein. Anita, who was born in 1942, is married to Professor Martin Pfaff, formerly a Green Party member of the Bundestag, the German parliament. They have three children: Peter Arun, Thomas Krishna and Maya Carina.

Rest at link.





3. www.hinduonnet.com/2005/12/29/stories/2005122903011300.htm

Thursday, Dec 29, 2005

The Chindu (who else). Here Amartya Sen enters the picture to endorse Anita Pfaff - newly produced for the Indian public as Princess Anastasia The Long Lost Romanov... I mean Bose Junior:

Netaji's death: Amartya Sen goes by Anita Pfaff's view

(Amartya Sen meets Anita Pfaff and her husband Martin Pfaff)

``If Netaji had been alive, he would have been 108. It is not unknown for people to live to that age, but I have no jurisdiction to comment on how he died. I will go by what Netaji's daughter has to say on this,'' Mr. Sen told newspersons during a visit to the Netaji Bhavan here.

[...]

Mr. Sen, who visited the Netaji Bhavan for the first time, said that the leader's political thoughts such as bringing about Hindu-Muslim unity, empowering women and integrating the country were something to be ``felt with the heart.''



``This visit brought me close to someone whom I have known about since childhood. I am particularly touched by a picture in which a group of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs are having a meal together. This was the practice of the Indian National Army. It is through vignettes like these that the thoughts of the great men are driven home,'' he said.

Like Sen said: Touching. Rest of 'stuff' at link.

Thank the Daoist Gods the ... great nationalist failed in his "Hindu meet Muslim; Muslim eat Hindu" mutual introduction project. And so ends another chapter in how Indian nationalism easily Replaces heathenism.



[color="#0000FF"]ADDED:[/color]

Sorry if someone's already posted this -

4. www.rtiindia.org/forum/42481-anita-pfaff-daughter-subhas-chandra-bose.html

Is Anita Pfaff daughter of Subhas Chandra Bose ?

Is Anita Pfaff daughter of Bose? RTI Activists question



A plea to ascertain the same is being tossed between Prime Minister's Office and Home Ministry with none being able to give clear answer.



The Home Ministry in a separate reply has accepted the Anita Pfaff is considered as the daughter of Subhash Chandra Bose by the Government.



[color="#FF0000"]"In a letter dated September 25, 2006 recieved from Ministry of External Affairs, it was stated that 'we have been informed by our Mission in Berlin that Mrs Anita Pfaff, daughter of Subhash Chandra Bose, has reuested for a copy of the Report of the Mukherjee Commission," S K Malhotra, Deputy Secretary Home Ministry had earlier replied.[/color]



A Mumbai-based resident, Ajay Marathe filed an RTI application seeking the reasons for such a belief by the Government. In his application he asked whether any scientific evidence was collected to reach such a belief.



He sought details of DNA test conducted, if any, to establish whether Bose is actually the biological father of the <st1:city wt="on"><st1>Augsburg</st1></st1:city> based German Professor.



But Marathe is yet to get any reply as the PMO had transferred the application under sections (Sections 6(3)) of the RTI act to the Home Ministry in November.



The Home Ministry in turn tossed the ball back in Prime Minister's Office court with a reply,"the information asked by you is not available in our records.



"However, it appears, that the same may be available with Prime Minister’s Office. Accordingly, your application is transferred to PMO for appropriate action in the matter under the provision of RTI Act 2005."

<o></o>

Marathe claimed "many Indians are curious to know"whether Bose did in fact father a child while in <st1:country-region wt="on"><st1>Germany</st1></st1:country-region> where he was attempting to gather support for the Indian National Army founded by him.



The 67-year-old Professor of Economics in <st1>Augsburg</st1> <st1>University</st1> in <st1:country-region wt="on"><st1>Germany</st1></st1:country-region>, Professor Anita Bose Pfaff, was among the more high profile visitors to the city.



"Till date, mystery surrounds the death of S C Bose. The same is in the case of the daughter. Both the PMO and the Home Ministry's reply clearly reflects that the Indian government is not all that keen to settle the issue officially," he said.



Forensics has grown to such heights that even in the absence of the esteemed leader, DNA testing of Pfaff and close relatives of Bose, who still live in and around <st1:city wt="on"><st1>Cuttack</st1></st1:city> in Orissa, could settle the matter once and for all, he said.



As reported By: Amit Kumar at mid-day.com on 20 january 2010

Heartburn over RTI on Netaji's daughter

Even as the government is still struggling to uncover the mystery shrouding Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's death, an RTI over the leader's German daughter is causing bad blood between the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the Ministry of Home Affairs.



Ajay Madhusudan Marathe, a Mumbai resident, had filed a right to information plea with the PMO on November 2, 2009. He sought to know on what basis Government of India recognizes Anita Pfaff, a German, the biological daughter and sole descendant of the Azad Hind Fauj.



Marathe also sought to know whether any DNA test was conducted to ascertain the real identity of Pfaff, a professor by vocation.



"Indians are curious to know whether Bose did in fact father a child whilst in Germany, attempting to gather support for the Indian National Army," Marathe said.

The PMO transferred the application under sections 6(3) of the RTI Act to the Home Ministry on November 10, 2009.



However, Marathe's quest remained unquenched, as the Home Ministry returned the application the PMO and informed Marathe that the information concerned was in the custody of the PMO and "not available in our records".



"Accordingly, your application is transferred to PMO for appropriate action in the matter under the provision of RTI Act 2005," the Home Ministry said in its reply to Marathe.



However, it did not go down too well with the PMO. Finding the ball back in its court, the PMO wrote to the Home Ministry on January 15, 2010 that the return of the application at the end of the 30 day period back with a reference suggesting difference in availability of records between ministry of Home Affairs and PMO "is not in order".



"Photocopies of records of this office (PMO) regarding Netaji Supreme Court Bose were made available to the Justice Mukherjee commission for enquiry into the alleged disappearance of Netaji Supreme Court Bose set up by the ministry of Home Affairs. The Mukherjee Commission has been wound up and the photocopy of the entire set of this office's record is available with the ministry of Home Affairs," the memorandum from PMO said.



Anguished over being dribbled by two top government offices, Marathe said, "Both the PMO and the Home Ministry's reply clearly reflects that the Indian government is not all that keen to settle the issue officially."

[color="#800080"](Then don't call her "the daughter" until proof is given.)[/color]

"Forensic science has developed so much that even in the absence of the esteemed leader, DNA testing of Ms Pfaff and close relatives of Bose, who still live in and around Cuttack in Orissa, could settle the matter once and for all, Marathe said.



Source: RTI Application and the replies from PMO and MHA

Kafka-esque.

Apparently the Hindu public does not have the right to know. But someone in Germany has the right to get the Indian govt to send her govt documents.





Maybe there's another manufactured dynasty in the making. And then, may one expect contenders for Nehru's unofficial offspring to jump out of the cupboard and declare itself as being the next true discoverer of India. Didn't IF members post that the baby bundle was posited at some catholic nunnery/institution?



That would complete the bad soap opera.