This volume brings to readers the thoughtful voice of Subhas Chandra Bose as he spoke to audiences of students and youth across the country during the months that he was out of prison between 1929 and February 1933.

It was in 1929 that Jatindranath Das—a young associate of Bhagat Singh—died in Lahore Jail after a hunger strike. Jatin had served in the Congress volunteer corps in 1928 under Subhas, who took charge of the funeral rites. In October 1929 Subhas journeyed from Calcutta to Lahore to deliver a message of complete emancipation to the Punjabi students’ conference, lauding Jatin’s sacrifice.

On his return to Calcutta Bose was arrested and on 23 January 1930, the day he turned thirty-three, he was imprisoned on charges of sedition. From behind bars Bose watched with admiration as Gandhi made his next moves towards civil disobedience.

These are among the many fascinating episodes that comprise this volume, which shows Subhas emerging as a pan-Indian leader in his own right, and as the only real spokesman of the Left.

Sisir Kumar Bose (1920-2000) founded the Netaji Research Bureau in 1957 and was its guiding spirit. A participant in the Indian freedom struggle, he was imprisoned by the British. After Independence he authored and edited biographies, memoirs, monographs, and research papers on Netaji’s life and times.

Sugata Bose is Gardiner Professor of History at Harvard University. He is the author of several books on economic, social, and political history, including A Hundred Horizons: The Indian Ocean in the Age of Global Empire and His Majesty’s Opponent: Subhas Chandra Bose and India’s Struggle Against Empire.