PRISONER OF YAKUTSK THE SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE MYSTERY FINAL CHAPTER by SHREYAS BHAVE.

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PRISONER OF YAKUTSK

THE SUBHASH CHANDRA BOSE

MYSTERY FINAL CHAPTER

SHREYAS BHAVE

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The book was published in 2019, and has therefor no excuse for the lies, nor for pretending that truth about Netaji threatened national security in India. It only demolishes lie about congress and UPA governments who lied.

One picks this up due to an interest in the subject, not realising it's a novel. That's intentional on part of the publisher. Author names it clear in his introduction, if one reads it, soon enough. But the introduction is reasonably interesting. The book on the other hand seems more of a patchwork.

It requires more art and craft to make a patchwork look a seamless whole, and here there's no awareness thereof.

The author seems very young, from the way he assumes a good deal about past facts, extrapolating from his own times, especially when it comes to names, life arrangements, travel and much more.

He's picked the subject for several reasons - unabating interest from India for one, possibilities of setting up a Dan Brown style story for another, exotic locals a reality of the original, and much more.

One has to wonder if he forgot why the deep attachment and reverence of India for Netaji in the first place, the way he confirms to what seem like norm of strictly imposed requirements from publishers - a dollop for prurient interests, here quite unnecessary.

Dan Brown does without it, after all.

Author, though, only had a capability of recognising a good opportunity to stage a Dan Brown, not to carry it to perfection as Dan Brown does The Da Vinci Code, or any of his other works, for that matter.

And really the setting requires more of a Frederick Forsyth.

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Author opines, amongst much else, that the Sadhu who appeared in Ayodhya in mid-seventies and was suspected to be Netaji, wasn't, in fact, he; that Netaji died in Russian custody, and the Sadhu who looked like him was one of his several body doubles, who were trained to take on his identity.

There are several flaws in this, as in most thinkings of the author.

For one, he's supposed to have disclosed inadvertently to a disciple, that he'd lived in Siberia. If one does not write it off as a lie, then one has to question why a double of Netaji, too, would be in Siberia, if Netaji’s being in custody in Siberia is correct.

But Netaji being in Soviet custody was information from Stalin disclosed to Jawaharlal Nehru, as per his message to the then PM Attlee; doubting this is the extreme vouching for the congress government stand of six decades and more, despite several obvious lies.

Moreover, there's no reason why another man wouldn't resume his own identity, or at least strenuously refute suspicion of being Netaji, if that were so. Which he never did. Other members of INA and associates of Netaji had no reason to fear Government of India, not for merely their identity.

So in assertion that it was a double, author implies a government plot, and this makes little sense for another man, as it involves a seclusion of well over a decade in poverty. Moreover the Sadhu was reported by everyone who knew him to be of spiritual power, and for such a man to be part of a paltry, base lie by Congress governments is illogical.

There's, moreover, no reason to assume that Netaji must have died in custody, as an abject laborer. He was a valuable prisoner for USSR, someone very useful to keep Jawaharlal Nehru and subsequent power-hungry leaders in line, especially those from his family.

So the flat assertion that the Sadhu was definitely not he but a double, smacks of a siding with those guilty over decades of lying to India, which is in line with his general tone, however hidden at first.

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Author begins chapter 21 with a flashback constructed to convey a morale whereby a muslim contract killer, and by association, all islamic warriors, are established by him as on principle refusing to kill women and children.

He also establishes, in the same flashback, a Sikh and by association, also all Hindu people, as exactly the opposite.

This is an out and out lie, on both counts, not only historically throughout, through histories of wars as conducted by Hindus vs those by islamic hordes, but right down to Noakhali and further.

There is much maligning of Hindus especially posr 2002, with a determination to wipe out every trace of the fact that, the whole thing began due to a train filled with Hindu pilgrims having been burnt alive, charred to death at Godhra, as they were returning home, hundreds dead including people of every age and gender.

And the riots, thereafter, weren't one sided, either, contrary to the propaganda against Hindus ever since.

They were supposed to be as much a genocide of Hindus as had been achieved in Kashmir in 1990, West Punjab and NWFP in 1947, and East Bengal between 1946-1971 and present.

So the whole maligning of Hindus, in overdrive from 2002 on, is because the intended genocide of Hindus in Gujarat failed. Instead, lies propaganda took its place ever since.

Pakistan propaganda, until then, was, that Hindus are merely moneymaker, whom Pakistan can nassacre as and when pakis need money and land. After 2002 riots it immediately turned to portraying Hindus as only killers, and muslims as victims.

It's not that they are unaware of having killed Hindus. It's that that's supposed to be merely of course, routine, non sequitur. Deaths of muslims at hands of non-Muslims are a horror as per Muslim law, rest all well.

Author is driven by writing in accord.

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"“Netaji disguised himself as a Caucasian before,” Harman reminded him, “when he escaped from Calcutta.”"

Incorrect, unless Indians are all classified as caucasuan, which was so until a separate classification was applied from India from a racist point of view.

Netaji had dressed as a muslim and specifically as a Pathan.

A racist view predominating in pakistan and very vocal on internet does go on and on about Indians being short, dark and ugly while pakis being tall, white and pretty. Any debate with Arnab on Republic TV which includes paki debaters can dispell the lie, especially if it includes a particular Indian diplomat from Tamilnadu, named Parthasarathi.

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Now author makes up a complete false story.

He has Singh rescue a prisoner at yakutsk because he can tell about Netaji’s whereabouts but only if he's rescued first.

"“Let’s begin with your name,” Singh said. “What’s your name?”

"The man took a sip of the hot liquid and then looked up.

"“Bormann,” he said. “Martin Bormann.”"

Martin Bormann is a famous name, and he wasn't one of those who vanished without a trace.

According to Wikipedia

" ... After Hitler committed suicide, Bormann and others attempted to flee Berlin on 2 May to avoid capture by the Soviets. Bormann probably committed suicide on a bridge near Lehrter station. His body was buried nearby on 8 May 1945, but was not found and confirmed as Bormann's until 1973; the identification was reaffirmed in 1998 by DNA tests. ... "

So by making up a story about him, author indicates that he's completely frivolous about history, Netaji and everything else?

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Author makes up more lies.

"“Our scientists had developed new technologies and sophisticated machinery,” Bormann said. “Knowing Germany would be crushed by the Allies, Fuhrer wished to hand over this legacy to those who would continue the fight. Hitler chose Bose. They had met before and the Fuhrer always said the Aryans of India would one day rise up. It was Das Fuhrer who gave him the name Netaji.”

This us a complete lie. Whatever good impression Subhash Chandra Bose created amongst the Germans by his sheer personality, it's not hidden that Hitler didn't think well of either Indians in general or Hindus, even; that he had appropriated the word Aryan with its falsely twisted connotation of racial physical characteristics and didn't regard India as deserving of independence.

And the name Netaji was given by Indians in Germany, not by any German.

"“What was this technology you speak of?” Singh asked.

"“The one that ended the war,” said Bormann. “The nuclear bomb.”"

No, this and further explanation by author is false. Germans were convinced that nuclear bomb was impossible, and surprised when informed otherwise.

Moreover, they were far more disbelieving that if Germany couldn't, others, especially US including Jewish scientists, had done it.

"Comparisons between the American Manhattan project and the German Uranverein nuclear project have consistently been drawn since the 1940s. It was unclear what level the German nuclear programme had reached. David Irving’s 1967 book, The Virus House, claimed that some of Diebner’s researchers had unsuccessfully attempted to produce fusion using conventional explosives and heavy paraffin as a deuterium carrier. Irving also describes an experiment in 1943, carried out by Trinks and Sachs, using a hollow sphere of silver filled with deuterium and imploded by conventional explosives. Again it was unsuccessful, no radioactivity being produced.

"Karlsch alleged that Diebner’s team conducted the first successful nuclear weapon test in Ohrdruf, Thuringia, on 4 March 1945. He quoted a purported eyewitness named Clare Werner, who claimed to have been standing on a hillside in Thuringia at the time of the test: Not too far away was the military training base near the town of Ohrdruf. Unexpectedly there was a flash of light. I suddenly saw something, it was as bright as hundreds of bolts of lightning, red on the inside and yellow on the outside, so bright you could’ve read the newspaper. It all happened so quickly, and then we couldn’t see anything at all. We just noticed there was a powerful wind... "

Nevertheless, fact is, best and highest of German scientists, captured by Allies, were not only of the opinion that nuclear weapons were impossible and out of question, but were completely disbelieving when informed that US had done it, and used them; they thought it was Allied propaganda, and if Germans couldn't, certainly Jewish and others in US couldn't do it. It took them white some time and proof to begin to be surprised that it was possible at all.

"Two months later, Germany surrendered. Hitler never to ceased to believe in the Aryan dream. He knew the German scientists were close to handing him the tools of world domination. But time had run out. In secrecy, he arranged for the equipment to be sent to a man who shared his Aryan bloodline, a man with power and personality, and the funds, to make use of it. Bormann was the courier."

Author selected someone who, if this was written in sixties, was plausible. As it is, its out of question. Remajns of Bormann were identified in 1973, in Berlin. He couldn't have arrived incognito after a rescue in 1948 and been buried in Berlin.

"“A hundred pounds in gold,” Bormann said. “That was the agreed price to deliver the goods.” "

Who'd be idiotic enough to imagine that Netaji could use the theory, without the space And infrastructure? Soviets could, yes. But he was a fugitive when Japan was defeated.

"“By the gods!” Harman whispered, aghast. “What did Netaji walk into!” "

Author is carrying translation of a monotheistic creed too far. Indians don't say "By the gods", never, period.

"“He had just one goal – to help his people.” Bormann told them what each knew to their very soul. “At first he was not interested, not at all. He couldn’t understand what we were trying to sell him.”

"“What changed his mind?” asked Singh.

"“He saw it for himself,” Bormann said.""

If it were seen as an experiment conducted, presumably in Siberia, wouldn't authorities know, and inform Moscow?

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But this invention by author does explain the title and cover, since both could then apply to Bormann just as well. He's seeking to confuse the hell out of any readers convinced by any of the other authors who were mostly journalists seeking to establish truth.

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"There were no international couriers in Yakutsk. With the heater in the car at full blast, Akhtar drove to the next large town. ... "

Another bit of lazy writing there, in the security of having no readers other than those from and of India, and an arrogant assurance that they wouldn't care to ask what town was that and just how far? Towns in Siberia aren't quite like those in, say, Germany or New York, close enough to drive within a short time - and if anything, were only further apart then, not to mention roads or lack thereof, weather that made travel practicable only on sledges when ground was frozen, and much more.

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"“And that is why Netaji hurried Kobayashi to fake the crash.”

"“And that is why he was carrying the gold,” Rupali added.""

So author contends that Germany had it in 1942-'43, while Netaji was there? On which case they ought to have been able to win, especially in Leningrad, and thereafter the world. Else netaji being convinced by demonstration makes no sense.

Now author contends that Netaji crossed over into Manchuria for a secret meeting with Bormann but they were caught by KGB - which then was NKVD, KGB was later - and thus author implies that Soviets got nuclear technology from Germany.

Fact is Soviets got it through spies in place in Manhattan Project, apart from the contacts in New York, and England.

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"Back in the 1940s, all the major powers of the world were after just one thing – nuclear technology. The Germans wanted it, the USA wanted it, and so did the Communists in the Soviet Union. ... "

Author grew up in a world where such language is possible. He's no clue that such thinking then was out of question.

Question was, whether it was possible at all, to split an atom; A bigger difficulty but far more essential to existence, was about ability to control it at all; and a third was, voted it be practical to use it as weapon.

Answers were only known in positive when Manhattan Project succeeded, step by step.

" ... However, the Soviets soon realized that their oppressive policies were not creating an atmosphere conducive to serious research. So Stalin decided that if he could not research the technology, he could simply steal it.

"That was how the KGB first instituted their band of atomic spies. ... "

Stalin’s difficulty was NOT inability to inspire Russians either patriotic fervor. Such an interpretation is as much nonsense as claiming that communism is why Russia couldn't do it. After all, if Soviets hadn't fought with so determined a strength, in face of devastating wrought by Germany including twenty millions dead in Russia, there was no way UK could have stood, and USA would fall then easily enough via Dakar-Mexico hop skip and jump.

No, the real difficulty of Soviets was, they were being battered by Germany in full strength, after rest of Europe was occupied, and UK was in no condition to go offensive before USA came in. This, coupled with Soviet financial crunch, is where US was ahead.

As for spies, they were not "employed" by Soviets, as much as just people convinced, that they had to work for the values communism stood for, which then was true of many if not most honest young thinkers.

" ... They were just like double agents, playing both sides, doling out information. ... "

Most weren't double, and if there were any, it's a secret author hasn't shared.

Most who spied for USSR were giving secrets from UK and US to Soviets, due to ideological convictions acquired early in life, not due to Soviet efforts but due to circumstances of US and UK societies.

" ... Some of KGB’s atomic spies were even located in the heart of the action, at Los Alamos, in the Manhattan project. ... "

Those names he could have included, with a little less laziness.

" ... They were wherever nuclear research was being conducted – in England, in Japan, and in this case, in Germany."

Any names in latter two?

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"It is unclear when the KGB learned of Bormann’s presence in Russia. Bormann himself imagined he had fooled the Soviets by hiding in their own country, thinking they would never look for him there. But he was wrong. The Russians knew exactly where he was. Moreover, they knew why.

"What Bormann had with him was a lottery for the Russians. He was carrying all the fruit bearing results of the German nuclear program, including papers, data, and prototypes design sheets. It constituted a decade of German nuclear research. It was every Soviet scientist’s wet dream come true. But the Russians were not like a desperate virgin trying to find his first lay. Rather, they were silent stalkers, about to commit an act of rape before slipping away into the darkness.

"They inferred that if Bormann had the merchandise, there had to be a buyer. So they hid and waited, like sly cops who wait till a prostitute meets her customer and then apprehends both. The Russians were not in a hurry. But Bormann was. Rather than crossing over to Japanese territory and risk capture, he invited Netaji to Russia, to exchange the technology for gold."

Author wishes to reason out why Bormann wasn't caught before, but the reasoning he gives above suits a democratic justice system trying to catch a thief with goods.

Soviets would, if they knew where he was, have caught him first and asked questions later, as did nazis or any other totalitarian system; as for nuclear technology and papers, they could have got it out of him or anyone ideologically not immunised enough to withstand their methods, and nazism was based in victory, with no protection when Germany lost.

"Netaji did not understand the gravity of the research Bormann was carrying and stalled him for a month, until the news of Hiroshima and Nagasaki shook the world. It was at that point that he realized the potential of what Bormann had. And he understood what a treasure it would be in the hands of Indian freedom fighters. ... "

Not unless it was a bomb that didn't need a plane for deployment. And at that time, the only two had been dropped on Japan. If Germany had one, they could have used it against Russian tanks, or over London. Netaji had no use for papers without a facility where the bomb could be made. He fidnt have it. At best his army could only sell it further. Who to?

Author is far too complacent in his arrogant assumption that his readers would know nothing, understand nothing, care not a whit a out his mistakes and wrong logic, and treat the book as highly as every other one on Netaji due to magic of his name.

" ... He agreed to cross over to Russia to take the goods from Bormann at a shanty town near the Manchurian-Soviet border. While he pressured Kobayashi to launch the plane-crash plan, Bormann arrived and found himself a home in the shanty town.

"Netaji planned to cross the border, make the exchange and double back to the safety of Kobayashi’s base in Manchuria. ... "

Author has unnecessarily gone to great lengths to lie to knvent a completely unnecessary reason for Netaji going yo Manchuria, and failed.

Netaji intended to go to Russia in the first place from Kabul, due to closeness of ideological reasons, to ask for help. This was also why he went to Manchuria faking a crash after Japanese surrender, intending to get Russian help for freedom war of India.

It's as simple as that.

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" ... From there, whether he planned to return to India or Japan, is not known. Bormann planned to take the gold and disappear to some distant land, possibly South America. However, both men failed to consider one small factor – the KGB presence nearby, who were waiting for the perfect opportunity. "

"And so fortune smiled on the Russians when Netaji Bose landed inside their borders with enough gold to buy the nuclear research. Their patience had paid off. They swooped down and captured both men and the gold."

Hopefully that's the end of lies by author where he's falsified facts as known by 1973, presuming he had that right and no one cared if he lied about Netaji and his politics.

Netaji couldn't have allowed capture by Allies, by that time at cold war with USSR even though it took time to manifest in open, and Axis powers were surrendering, Japan soon to do so.

If he had had any intention of returning to India, moreover, he need not have faked a crash with so much trouble.

So author has merely assumed arrogantly that he can do any falsification of known facts, and it won't matter, presumably because he thinks India is ignorant and ldo doesn't care about truth.

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"The investigating committee believed there were several reasons why the claims of Singh and his team were summarily rejected by the Founding Fathers. First and foremost, they did not bring back enough proof from Russia to support their claims. Secondly, the persons they claimed as witnesses, were all intractable. One was a vigilante mercenary, somewhere in China; another was a Russian agent, protected by Moscow; and the third was a Nazi war criminal whom they had left behind, dead. No governmental action was possible against the USSR based on information from a group of ex-INA men who had no convincing evidence. Furthermore, the Indian leadership was looking to Russia as a strategic partner after independence."

Much lie there, including about lack of proof, about Bormann and more.

Jawaharlal Nehru had written to Attlee in 1946 of having heard from Stalin regarding Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose being in their custody. India needed no more proof than that to act on.

So perhaps author is hoping to absolve the then government by his lies.

"The Founding Fathers thus decided to ignore the report presented by Singh and his team, and support the plane crash theory instead. ... "

Is author an ABCD NRI from US using his country's terminology wrongly for India? India has a continuous history of several millennia, and no founding fathers as a nation in recent history, being not new. Talking of founding fathers of India is akin to talking of thise of Germany because that country has changed birders several times, and didn't exist between 1945-1990, until reunification. Or of Europe, more realistically.

No, the PM lied because, as Gandhi reportedly informed him in presence of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Netaji was alive, and would be the one in power if he returned. So they hoped USSR wouldn't publicise the fact, and kept lying.

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"“The Prime Minister debriefed us because they did not believe us,” Singh said."

Out and out lie.

The man who wrote to PM Attlee in 1946 to inform him of having heard from Stalin regarding Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose being in custody in Russia, certainly didn't believe that he'd died before that in 1945, in a plane crash.

"“Did you learn how Kobayashi caused the plane to crash?” he asked."

There'd been no crash that day in that place.

Why's the author fond of lying about known facts of history?

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"Sardar Patel, the first Deputy Prime Minister of India, had planned to sleep on that fateful flight from Tashkent. ... "

"A minute after takeoff, when the plane was still climbing, rumbling sounds came from one of the engines. Then the body of the plane began to vibrate as if caught in a storm. Mani and the Maharaja began shouting at the pilot, asking what was wrong. A blinking red light came on in the cockpit."

Next, author describes Patel discovering pilot shot in forehead, plane lowered gently to ground, and Singh with a gun face Patel. So far, it can be construed mixture of fact and authors liberty with them. But next, he gives what he wishes reader to assume as facts, which in light of all his lies is uncertain.

"The Deputy Prime Minister’s plane went missing on 29 March 1950. He was scheduled to land in Jaipur that evening, flying in from Tashkent. His pilot sent a message to the Jaipur traffic control to say they had been delayed by 45 minutes. The message was relayed to the various political figures like V.P. Menon and the Maharajah of Jaipur, who were waiting at the landing strip to receive him. However, the plane did not appear at all. Panic struck everyone at the Jaipur aerodrome. Messages flew around the country. From Delhi, three RAF squadrons were deployed to search for the plane. Menon left Jaipur for Delhi and hurried to the Prime Minister’s residence."

So far, reader doesn't know if author lies. But next -

"The news was kept classified to avoid panic setting in amongst the people. The Deputy Prime Minister was affectionately known as the Iron Man of India. But the ordinary populace did not know that the Deputy Prime Minister had in his jacket a homing beacon that send a signal every hour to pinpoint his location. It had been designed for a situation exactly like this."

Even if that technology existed, next author bubbles as usual.

"The RAF waited for the first signal to arrive. When it did, they noted that it was a few kilometers away from Jaipur. Captain Dalbir Singh immediately commissioned the best possible equipment for the search and rescue operation – helicopters."

India being independent its unclear what business RAF had being there, but let's assume it continued as long as until 1950. But surely a plane travelling at normal speed couldn't be in Jaipur within minutes of being down near Tashkent, or crash in Jaipur after being in a nosedive in minutes after taking off at Tashkent?

"Sardar Patel was given a rousing welcome in Delhi. The official word was that his plane had crash landed near Jaipur. ... "

"When Patel had finished his narration, Nehru sat silently for a long time, his mood sombre. Finally he asked, “Are they all dead?”

"“Yes, every last one,” Patel said. “The IAF men did what they had to.”"

Were those minutes exactly when RAF changed to IAF, or was the author lazy as usual?

"Patel gave a weary sigh. “They were deadly serious but they did not have the proof we needed to act.”"

Lie by the author, in that the then PM, and therefore the government, did have proof in communication to Jawaharlal Nehru from Stalin in 1946.

"“Are we dishonourable men?” Nehru asked sadly.

"“I would accept dishonor if it would take our country forward,” Patel replied quietly.

"The Prime Minister leaned back in his chair, his face lined with weariness.

"“So what now?”

"“We must see to it that the story of the crash is what is accepted and established. There must be no further media coverage.”"

So author did this whole effort including lies, just to whitewash the then PM with yet another lie?

For if netaji was alive and in Russian custody for no crime, how was that a dishonour if truth were admitted? On the contrary, if truth were preferred hidden by Indian Government, then USSR was in a perfect position to blackmail the PM and every Government of India by the party he belonged to, which has since had three PM from the family including him and another in power in recent decades behind a cover of another PM in office.

So the dishonour was invited by the lie by Government of India pretending Netaji died in crash that never happened.

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"“People in India have stopped caring what really happened to Netaji, accepting the Taipei air crash theory.”"

Another lie.

"“You people accepted the theory years ago, in 1945. That is why the file has remained closed…until now.”"

Another lie, there.

There was no need of one commission after another to investigate, if people had accepted it.

Nor was there a need of surveillance of Bose clan for decades, continuing long after Jawaharlal Nehru was gone, by his daughter as the then PM.

Nor was there need of the UPA government discrediting the final commission report because it disagreed with crash theory and lie, having been the only investigation carried at site of supposed crash and discovered there had been none.

Such strenuous lies, combined with surveillance of Bose family by Congress governments of India, indicates the knowledge by Congress governments that India cares.

"“You can always leak it,” Alexis suggested. “This is the 21st century. We can’t stop you. But leaking it won’t change things.” He stood up and walked to the window, standing there with his back to them. “We always blame the Soviets for things like this. It is an easy reprieve. We brought down their statues and we’ll hide behind their mistakes once again if the story surfaces. But you need to consider the situation in your own country.”"

That's nonsense, since Russia dominated Soviet Union, and hasn't changed ideology.

"“Netaji’s death has remained a closed chapter for decades,” Jay said. “Commissions have been instituted and they have repeatedly supported the air crash theory. The issue of Netaji has been raised only by politicians and journalists seeking media coverage.” He paused and then added quietly, “But never by the people.”

"“You Indians are a wise lot,” Alexis said, turning around. “You know what is done is done. That is why your country has survived and moved forward. You know it is pointless to cry over spilt milk. Your people are wise but your politicians are not.”"

Clever shift, but doesn't hide the lie.

"“True...true…” Jay murmured. “If details of these events are revealed, it would just serve as fodder for our politicians. And what would happen after that no one can tell.”"

So the author is out to defend the lie, even justify it, as something that protects congress and the family that benefited from absence of Netaji, by vague generalisations about "fodder for our politicians"?

"“I can,” Alexis said. “It will cause chaos. Quite unnecessary chaos, I may add. And all for no advantage. There is no sane reason to reveal what you now know.”"

That justifies every lie and every crime, since the same spiel can be given about it as soon as its perpetrated - as the Vatican does about thousands of paedophile priests it shielded and still does, apart from other priests who raped nuns for decades.

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"Behind him, in the box of ashes, now lay the golden tooth of Netaji. Nestled amidst the bones and ashes of Ichiro Okura it lay, a symbol of the enduring power of men who are destined to live forever in the hearts of future generations."

How does that help, if the rest of remains are charred bones, not ashes?

Any government may bring them home to India, and conduct a DNA analysis, proving congress and UPA governments lied all along.

Finally, as one reads several paragraphs in dispersed places where author espouses, champions, recommends, and even asserts Indians forgetting about Netaji and assuming he died in a crash, and as the author champions a lie about such forgetting being in interest of national security, one suddenly gets why he took real life characters from INA and then gave them details in the version he created that didn't belong to them.

His whole intention in writing this was to give it a faint or not so faint odour of disgusting, putting off those who'd catch his lies.

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CONTENTS

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AUTHOR’S NOTE

1 THE END

2 THE AXIOM

3 THE CHARACTERS

4 THE COUPLE

5 THE ORPHANS

6 THE BEGINNING

7 THE REVELATIONS

8 THE RUSSIANS

9 THE TEAM

10 THE MEETING

11 RENKOJI

12 THE CASINO

13 THE ASHES

14 THE INFILTRATION

15 MANCHURIA

16 THE GEISHA

17 YAKUTSK

18 ENGLAND

19 THE PLAN

20 THE HEIST

21 THE ESCAPE

22 YAKUTSK

23 HARA KIRI

24 THE END

EPILOGUE

CONCLUSION

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REVIEW

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AUTHOR’S NOTE

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"When he was alive , Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was something of an enigma to most. It is thus perhaps poetic justice that his death in an alleged plane crash on 18 August 1945, in Taiwan, has remained wrapped in deep mystery for over 70 years after the event.

"In those seven decades numerous books have been written on the subject, giving rise to countless conspiracy theories about his death, from India’s Biggest Cover-up by famed journalist, Anuj Dhar, Bose: The Indian Samurai by Retd Major General GD Bakshi, the recent Laid to Rest: The Controversy over Subhash Chandra Bose’s Death by author Ashis Ray, to Alt Balaji’s recent web series ‘Bose: Dead or Alive’. Most of these accounts have emphasized the controversial point that Netaji did not die in the plane crash as is generally supposed. While the authors have dug deep into their own research, the primary source remains the reports of the four committees constituted since 1945, to investigate the case of Netaji’s supposed death."

" ... Mountbatten, then Viceroy of India, tasked one Colonel John Figgess, an intelligence officer, with investigating Bose’s death. Figgess’s report, however, submitted on 25 July 1946 , was confidential, and was only made available for public viewing as late as 1997. ... "

" ... Indian Government, which set up three committees to investigate the matter. The first of them, led by politician Shah Nawaz Khan (ex-INA), began work in 1956, and interviewed more than 67 witnesses to the case in India, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam. It came to the conclusion that Bose had indeed perished in the plane crash of 18 August 1945. However, an important member of this committee, Suresh Chandra Bose, who was none other than Netaji’s elder brother, refused to sign the final report, claiming that the other members of the group had withheld certain crucial evidence from him, and that the committee had been directed by the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, to infer death by plane crash. In a 188 page minority report released by him, he claimed he had been bribed with the position of ‘Governor of West Bengal’to agree to sign the final report confirming that Netaji had died in the plane crash. ... "

" ... Bringing his legal background to bear on the issue, Justice Khosla, in a methodical fashion, concurred with the main facts of Bose’s death reported earlier by the Shah Nawaz Committee.

"While GD Khosla’s authorative judgment should have dispelled any conspiracy theories, in fact the reverse happened as public groups, believing Khosla’s report to be flawed, began filing numerous PILs in the Supreme Court demanding the Government investigate the matter yet again."

"In 1999, following a court order following one such PIL, the Indian Government appointed retired Supreme Court judge, Manoj Kumar Mukherjee, to probe Bose’s death. ... Mukherjee Commission investigation turned the story on its head.

The Commission perused hundreds of files on Bose’s death, drawn from several countries, and visited Japan, Russia and Taiwan. In 2001, the Commission was informed that a file from the so-called Netaji files, File No Jan/ XVII/ 14, reportedly on the investigations into Bose’s death, had been destroyed in ‘routine course’ by the Indian government in 1972 . The contents of this file were supposedly summarized in the Cabinet Secretariat but the Deputy Secretary reported there was no entry of such a file. Though oral accounts reconfirmed the plane crash, the Commission concluded that such accounts could not be entirely relied on and that there was a secret plan to ensure Bose’s safe passage to the USSR with the knowledge of the Japanese authorities.

"The Mukherjee Commission submitted its report on 8 November 2005. The report was tabled in the Indian Parliament on 17 May 2006. The Indian Government rejected the findings of the Commission with the words:

"‘The Government have examined the report in detail and have regretfully accepted the conclusion that Netaji may not be with us anymore and it is now not possible to comprehensively establish the circumstances of his death; but are not inclined to accept the findings of the Commission that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose did not die in the plane crash because absence of documents does not conclusively disprove the overwhelming oral evidence of those who survived the crash ... "

"After the Mukherjee Commission’s public conclusion refuting Bose’s death in the plane crash, a series of books were written on the subject, as mentioned earlier. All the books took a non-fictional approach. When I decided to tackle the subject for my fourth book, following The Asoka Trilogy, I used the literary genre known as ‘fiction presented as fact’, considering it best suited to the story. This approach has been popularized internationally by Dan Brown, and in India by Ashwin Sanghi. However, no one to date had essayed Bose’s mysterious death in this format. I decided to do so, desiring to bring something unique to the table.

"The first step was to finalize a conspiracy theory about Bose’s end. There have been many of these; some claim he lived in disguise in Bengal after the supposed fake-crash, disguised as the godman called Gumnami Baba. There are other theories that place him in various parts of the world. Some even go so far as to claim that he was sighted and photographed. I chose the theory that is closest to the conclusions of the Mukherjee Commission, and which was also presented by then Member of Parliament, Satyanarayan Sinha, in his testimony to the Shah Nawaz Commission in the 1950s. In the transcript, Sinha claims that a Russian agent called Kozlov told him that Bose had survived the plane crash and was then captured by the Soviets and imprisoned in Cell no 45 of the Yakutsk prison. Kozlov knew this because he himself was imprisoned in Cell no 46 in the same prison, and later released. This is the most believable amongst the plethora of theories about Bose and hence this was the one I used in my book."

" ... It is at this point that we realize there could indeed have existed a plan to tell the world that Bose had died in a fake plane crash in order to stop the worldwide search for him (the British, for instance, considered him a WW II war criminal); hiding Bose in a location from where he could continue his efforts towards the freedom struggle.

"So what we have are bits of information about his last days, coupled with some oral testimonies that make for an excellent, edge-of-the seat thriller. So I zeroed in on three threads I found common to all the theories:

"1. Bose left Singapore immediately after learning the news of the nuclear detonations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"2. He was carrying considerable wealth in the form of gold on his last flight. This gold was never found.

:3. An inmate of the Yakutsk Gulags claimed that Bose was imprisoned in a cell there."

"The theory of Netaji’s supposed ashes in Tokyo being actually those of a Japanese soldier called Ichiro Okura, first cropped up in the Mukherjee Commission report. I have shown the same to be true in my story."

"The story of Netaji’s gold tooth being discovered in the ashes, thereby confirming the ashes as belonging to him, was covered by many newspapers in 2016. ... "

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April 08, 2022 - April 10, 2022.

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1 THE END

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"Jay felt his heartbeat double as the helicopter hovered above him. He could feel its vibration though he could not see it. He felt the air pressing onto him as he lay on the snow, entirely covered by the Mylar foil. The snow began to drift into the openings of his clothing. His uncovered socks had become wet and he could not feel his toes at all. They were as stiff as rocks.

"“Stand up! We’ve found you,”the voice boomed overhead. The words were immediately swallowed by the falling snow."

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April 08, 2022 - April 10, 2022.

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................................................................................................

2 THE AXIOM

................................................................................................

" ... there are many common features in these cases. The first is the missing body.

"The body of the missing person is never found, even after decades."

"The third common factor is suppressed information. In the case of each of these disappearances, the concerned Authorities hid or buried some evidence, which only strengthened conjectures about the involvement of those authorities in the disappearances. This last point often fed conspiracy theories, while the first two indicated why conspiracy theories arose in the first place.

"The mysterious case of the disappearance of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, one of the leaders of the Indian freedom movement, fits this mould perfectly.

"In 1945, just after the nuclear bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Netaji took a series of flights; the last one crashing at Formosa in Taiwan, and culminating in his supposed death. Six decades later, conspiracy theories still abound, from the hauntingly possible to the outright bizarre, due to the following reasons.

"Firstly, Netaji was internationally famous. He had rubbed shoulders with Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. He was renowned as a man of action and the leader of the INA (Indian National Army). His popularity was soaring when his plane crashed.

"Secondly, Bose’s body was never found. The plane crash happened in a foreign country, where the officials who dealt with his body, did not know or revere him as a national hero. The photographs taken of his body are strangely vague, explained away by the burns he is said to have suffered in the crash. The photographs could have been of any severely burnt man. There are disturbing questions regarding his death certificate, with at least five individuals claiming to have signed it. The actual certificate has never been found."

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April 08, 2022 - April 10, 2022.

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3 THE CHARACTERS

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Author introduces Jay Rashbihari and Tanya Williams, main characters, bright young outsiders. His name is significant on that has last name is taken by author after another freedom warrior, Rashbehari Bose, who was in fact the first one to generate and head INA, which lacked life until Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose arrived to take over.

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April 08, 2022 - April 10, 2022.

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4 THE COUPLE

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Author goes into characters of major and Mrs Singh, characters inspired from real life Sehgal couple in INA. He introduces Singh as being interrogated by a British officer at Red Fort in Delhi, before 1947.

"“Burma campaign, huh. X regiment.” Hardy was back to the files, ruffling pages with one hand while writing in the notebook with the other.

"“We preferred to call ourselves Jungle Cats.” Major Singh closed his eyes, remembering.

"“And Jungle Cats you were!” Colonel Hardy closed the last file on the table. “Your regiment was the deadliest of the Japanese army during the Burma campaign.”

"“Deadliest of the INA,” Major Singh corrected quietly.

"Colonel Hardy smiled in amusement. “It’s sad really that you guys didn’t get what you wanted.”

"“Our freedom?” Major Singh laughed. “We still want that, Colonel.”

"“All you were able to hold were two small border towns – Kohima and Imphal,” Colonel Hardy reminded him. “That too, not even for a fortnight.”

"Major Singh opened his eyes. “It was an impossible offensive. We had such few resources. I’d say we did far more than what anyone else could have done with what we had.”

"“Nobody’s blaming you,” Colonel Hardy said.

"“We blame ourselves! It is what Netaji taught us to do.”"

Author names the wife, based on Laxmi Sehgal, Rupali Singh nee Swaminathan; He could and should have done better. Rupali and similar names came as a wave some time in sixties on, from Bengal via Maharashtra, but it would be an almost unthinkable name for a traditional South Indian.

But he's done the same with the name of the husband, Anish Singh, which is bad enough to have occurred now due to desperation of fashion of searching out a new name that sounds western, but was unthinkable then, since it means anti-God.

But the author mentions the real character too, separately.

"“The Japanese forces attacked Singapore in December 1941. Rashbehari Bose, a veteran freedom fighter, came with them. He started the India Independence League. I, like all the other Indians, joined it. Our property was not considered enemy property by the Japanese. They treated us well.”

"“Did you want to don uniform, Mrs. Singh?”

"“I never dreamed it was possible! There were no women regiments then. But it all changed when Netaji came. He said in his second speech that he would form a women’s infantry regiment, named after the Rani of Jhansi, who fought heroically against the British in 1857.”

"“How many women joined?”

"“The response was overwhelming! My doctor colleague, Ms Laxmi Swaminathan, was appointed Head, and she did the recruiting. I, along with almost a thousand other women, joined up.”"

"“And after the retreat?”

"“We were together in the retreat,” she said, “So was Netaji. A thousand men and women accompanied Netaji back to Singapore.”

"“What happened after the surrender?”

"“Then you people landed and imprisoned us all,” she said shortly. “I was separated from my husband. He was sent to Delhi immediately. I was held in Singapore for quite some while before I was brought here.”"

"The INA trials attracted massive public attention as the nationalist leader Jawaharlal Nehru himself donned his lawyer’s robes to defend the accused in the trial.

"During the trials, mutiny broke out in the Royal Indian Navy. It was followed by an army mutiny at Jabalpur. The British Chief of Staff relayed orders from Britain that the INA defendants were to be judged lightly, to prevent the massive public outcry that harsh sentences would cause."

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April 10, 2022 - April 13, 2022.

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................................................................................................

5 THE ORPHANS

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Author swings back to Jay and Tanya in present, beforestepping back to past.

He has young Jay deal with discovery of his mother having been the first love of his father, but having vanished after the birth; by now readers have git it, Jay is a grandson of the Singh couple from INA, who had also vanished after birth of the daughter, she being brought up at an orphanage.

Tad unrealistic. Timeliness fit, but a baby girl brought up in an orphanage, safe and grown to do a doctorate, that too a daughter of a couple from INA who vanished leaving her, ... too much of Dan Brown! He had orphans of importance better cared for.

"After studying at the University of Melbourne, Assange founded WikiLeaks in 2006. What was not known was that exactly two years before, he had mentored Tanya in founding the X Group. WikiLeaks would go on to publish hundreds of exposes over the coming years and it was believed that the X Group, led by Tanya, was its anonymous source.

"LIMA, PERU 2008

"On 4 November 2008, Tanya was in Lima, staying at the Ritz, which was just blocks away from the office of Hernando Gomez, a key figure in Peru’s internal security department and a known government loyalist. He had survived the recent change in the power status quo caused by an oil scandal. Two months later, in January 2009, WikiLeaks released 86 telephone intercept recordings of Peruvian politicians and businessmen involved in the 2008 Peru oil scandal.

"LONDON, 2007

"On 31 August 2007, The Guardian featured on its front page a story about corruption by the family of the former Kenyan leader, Daniel Arap Moi. The newspaper stated the source of the information as WikiLeaks. If anyone had investigated further, they would have found a young woman named Tanya Williams living at the Ritz, London, just blocks away from the offices of Kroll Associates UK Limited, the company hired by the next President of the United States, to investigate the WikiLeaks matter.

"In March 2008, WikiLeaks published what they referred to as ‘the collected secret bibles of Scientology’, and three days later received letters threatening to sue them for breach of copyright. These leaks happened months after the annual meeting of the Scientology Church in Los Angeles."

"In September 2008, during the United States Presidential election campaign, the contents of a Yahoo account belonging to Sarah Palin (running mate to Republican Presidential nominee John McCain), were posted on WikiLeaks, after being hacked by X Group. By now, newspaper readers were aware that Tanya Williams was the Founder-Operator of this hacking entity."

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April 13, 2022 - April 13, 2022.

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6 THE BEGINNING

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"The British left India in 1947, but they also left many things behind – colossal government buildings built in characteristic colonial style; a massive railway network, which would go on to become the largest in the world; the English language, which would make India the largest English speaking nation six decades later, and an impeccable system of document keeping.

"The first Government of India, with Pandit Nehru as its Prime Minister, as well as all subsequent governments, have been most particular about this final legacy. All Government meetings were recorded on paper. All official letters were copied and stored. All records were maintained perfectly."

Author makes a mistake -

"The reader may be confused by the title of Deputy Prime Minister, for such a title no longer exists in India. Actually, the title existed for just three years and was held by just one man.

"Before the Constituent Assembly of India accepted the Constitution on 26th January 1950, making India a federal Government, it was governed centrally by the Prime Minister’s Office, with a Deputy Prime Minister. The Prime Minister from 1947-1950, was Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The Deputy Prime Minister was Sardar Vallabbhai Patel."

Morarji Desai, eventually a PM of India, was a deputy PM for a while before until out of power for a few years due chiefly to Indira Gandhi falling out with seniors and ousting them.

Again, another mistake -

"Life had been hard for the Singhs after the birth of their daughter. He had no immediate family to turn to. His distant relatives now lived in the newly formed and hostile Pakistan. ... "

Few if any non -muslims were allowed to have survived in Northwest across border; but perhaps author simply didn't know how else to devise the couple being short of relatives, without mentioning the massacres?

" ... He had hoped to join the Indian Army, but the Prime Minister had declared that one of the leaving conditions of the British were that no one who had served in INA be recruited into the Indian Army."

Why were they in a position to make leaving conditional, after having taken flight in such a hurry as to ignore the massacres?

In an extremely unlikely scenario, author has Gandhi, Nehru and Patel get Singh to Delhi for a covert mission to locate Netaji, the trio meeting him in person at PMO, insisting the government will take care of the baby!

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April 13, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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................................................................................................

7 THE REVELATIONS

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Yet another unnecessary mistake -

"It began when his lead engineer, a tubby Japanese named Shenzhou Lee, ... "

Author is mixing his Chinese and Japanese, a huge no-no!

Yet another booboo is when author, seeking to inform the unfamiliar reader, has Jay surprised by what his system can do with the data of GPO, India! But jay is the young genius who started the company and subsequently went after the government contracts, and landed that with India Post! Why is he surprised, instead of being aware of it all before he pitched it?

Another mistake, the employee warns owner of company -

"“You understand this data is classified and for research only, don’t you, Cap?” Lee said, suddenly serious."

And then another -

" ... he typed in his own name in the search box. Then he selected his own photo.

"A thousand results came up and Jay scrolled through them. ... "

One, an employee warning the owner of a company about the data they are working with, is strange; two, author has made the guy not just unique but impossible, in that he's given him a last name that doesn't exist, except as a Bengali first name, so there should be no other "results" when he searches his name, except himself.

And then another -

"I have finally learned that my parents, Major and Dr. Singh, were veterans of the INA, and disappeared in 1947. But they did not go alone. Some others disappeared with them – Harman Singh, Dinesh Khanna, and Irshad Akhtar. A letter reached me a few months ago, when you were away on your research trip. It was written to me by a person called Irshad Akhtar. He was a friend of my parents and the letter was dated 1949. The contents were so intriguing that I had to get up and leave. I hope you’ll understand.

"Furthermore, I have to go to Hong Kong to get the answers. I write this letter to ask you to come with me. We can leave our son with a friend.

"Waiting to hear from you,

"Your Azaadi."

Author writes this as if leaving babies with friends was a routine as casual as leaving a suitcase in a locker at a train station, or airport; but neither of latter is true in India, much less former!

Moreover, it wasn't a joke to get a passport then, or visa, however easy it's been since 2014.

And since the couple were students, how was she financing a trip to Hong Kong, being an orphan?

"“Why didn’t you go?” Jay asked, slamming his hand on the table.

"His father looked up to meet his gaze. “I did not go to her because I could not. I had you to take care of for one. And I had met your mother by then.”

So the father of a baby is involved seriously and almost immediately with another woman, as soon the mother of the baby was gone? But that doesn't occur to baby.

"“I’m sorry,” Jay said. “I should have thought about it from your point of view.”

"“I’m sorry I never tried to search for her,” his father said. “But where would I have searched? No other communication came from her after this letter. I couldn’t just book a flight and go to Hong Kong, could I? I never had that much money. I couldn’t do anything.”"

Hmm, he didn't have money, but she did? And she wrote asking him to come, but didn't say exactly where? Nor asked him to bring baby?

" ... He knew what to type in now: Azaadi Singh.

"The server displayed a clock on the screen as the search results began to be pulled. There was no photo as his mother had never had a Facebook profile. Jay filtered through the long list of results under the keywords orphanage and Dehra Doon. ... "

But again, it's a name so unique there couldn't have been another of that name, not then!

Author ends this chapter at a Neverending Story moment of the wolf waking up and springing onto pursuit just as Atreyu began his quest, with Russians after Jay as - and because? - he's booked a ticket to Hong Kong.

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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................................................................................................

8 THE RUSSIANS

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Author explains why Tanya stole from Jay, before she offers to return the money and join him in his quest, instead.

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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................................................................................................

9 THE TEAM

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Yet another Singh from INA has no relatives left, as he is acquitted after INA trials, without any reference by author to why. Author really does avoid topic of massacres of Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan!

"Notes about him, written by his comrades in the INA, show him to be a devout Moslem, one who would recite namaz every day at the appointed time, rain or shine. ... "

Appointed time? Is there a sect that prays just once a day?

" ... One of the donors at the Old Jama Masjid, in 1947, was one Irshad Akhtar. If it was the same man, then judging by the generous amount donated, he had become a wealthy man after the war."

Within two years?

"She found him by his old habit of going to the mosque for namaz. When he spotted her standing outside the Jama Masjid that afternoon, he was more surprised than he had ever been in his life."

It's far more intriguing why she was sure of her in safety at a spot without another woman around.

Far more tasteless, inappropriate and unnecessary than any other bits so far, author inserts a dislodge that hies on and on, to make sure reader gets it, that INA wasn't kosher as per India’s morality. This, unless proven correct, is a seriously offensive allegation, and perhaps author is arrogant enough to assume that a reader is unimportant after the copy is paid gorgeous. This would be true only if author has no need of further readers.

He's also claimed that Mrs Singh was based on the real character Laxmi Sehgal, and if she's aware of this prurient bit, she couldn't be used.

Author explains wealth of Irshad Akhtar in short while by his having become a killer for hire; in a city teeming with poor and barely recovering from shocks of partition massacres that were still going on across border, with refugees pouring in by millions, which went on for a while - surely a sniper was worth not that much?

Author does finally mention the partition massacres briefly, equivocating regarding numbers and pretending it was equal, but that's expected by now.

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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................................................................................................

10 THE MEETING

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" ... Ritz, the largest hotel in the city.

"Pandit Nehru celebrated his birthday three floors below them in the grand Platinum Hall. The top leadership, including the Deputy Prime Minister and the Father of the Nation, were present. ... "

It's unclear if the author is out yo deliberately offend readers by seemingly glorifying an INA serviceman turned a killer for hire by choice now crushing a burning cigarette under foot on expensive carpets of Ritz hotel.

Is this supposed to be a leftist stance? But Ritz is Swiss, not British. This offensive stance by author reminds of the ending of a mid eighties Hungarian film about Soviet tanks streaming in in 1956.

"The Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister stepped into the room at an opportune moment. Singh had laid out a large map of the Far East on the table and everyone was bent over it, inspecting it closely. So much so, that they failed to notice that the two most powerful men in the country were standing behind them."

Most unlikely scenario, especially with the then PM involved.

"“There will be dangers every step of the way,” Sardar Patel said. “Your journey may take you to unexpected places. But you’ve been through all of it before. So all I want to say is: May you be victorious! And may you find our Netaji alive and well, and bring him home.” With that, the Deputy Prime Minister stood up straight, preparing to leave."

Obviously the information received by the then PM before independence hadn't been a secret from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, but then, why did he say "you’ve been through all of it before"? None of them had been in, much less through, Russia, even on a touristic or diplomatic trip, much less an adventure in Siberia to conduct a covert exfiltration mission, with danger for life even just from sheer temperatures, apart from everything else!

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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................................................................................................

11 RENKOJI

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"“We’ve come to pay our respects to the ashes of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose,” Singh said.

"Mochizuki folded his arms. “Have you!” His tone changed drastically. “So may we pay our respects?”

"“He’s a great national hero of yours, isn’t he?” Mochizuki queried.

"Singh nodded.

"“Bullshit!” Mochizuki cursed in Japanese, slamming his fist on the table. “Why hasn’t anyone from your country come for him then?” he asked, reverting to English.

"“Well, we have,” Singh said.

"“You are tourists,” Mochizuki said, making no effort to mask the disgust in his voice. “I meant, why hasn’t anyone from your Government come to take his ashes back to India?”"

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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................................................................................................

12 THE CASINO

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Author goes into an extended description of a casino at Hong Kong, where a possible contact of his mother might be found by Jay.

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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................................................................................................

13 THE ASHES

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"“Isn’t the Reverend supposed to be boss at this temple?” Rupali asked. “Isn’t his decision final?”"

They are referring to Renkoji, a Buddhist temple. Why are they using terminology that belongs to church? Merely laziness and ignorance of author?

This is where author diverts seriously from reality, something Dan Brown didn't play with.

"Netaji’s plane didn’t just crash,” Akhtar said, looking at Singh. “It was made to crash!”

"“What! By whom?”

"“Our old friend,” Akhtar said, looking straight into Singh’s eyes. “Kobayashi.”"

Reality is, there was no plane crash that day at that airfield, no such accident.

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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................................................................................................

14 THE INFILTRATION

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Jay and Tanya find Mrs Makijan, the Russians after him failing yo capture either of the Teo who are u aware of them.

Why did author select a Sindhi last name, Makhijani, for a Chinese woman, and then change spelling?

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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................................................................................................

15 MANCHURIA

................................................................................................

" ... Okura San, a long serving Colonel in the Imperial Japanese Army. He had fought in the Great War of 1914-1918, but was now retired. His son, Ichiro Okura, had also served in the Imperial Japanese army, continuing the family tradition of soldiering, but had been killed in action. The man, Akhtar said, was interested in the ashes for one reason only – the ashes did not belong to Bose, but to his son."

" ... Ichiro had been recruited as Bose’s body double by the Japanese army due to the likeness. But Ichiro had been killed in Indo-China during the last American offensive of 1945. But when Okura went to get his son’s ashes, he discovered that the Military had nor had a military burial for him, nor would they hand over his son’s ashes. Even the records of his son’s service had been erased. It was as if Ichiro had never existed."

Now author brings up a possibly historic figure or just uses a common base, Kobayashi, as someone instrumental in bringing down Netaji's plane, which in fact never did happen.

" ... Kobayashi ended up with the leadership of Green Dragons sometime around 1937. His first client was the Government of Nationalist China, then fighting a civil war against the Communist China of Mao Tse Tung. Kobayashi distinguished himself as a guerilla mercenary. His offensive against Communist China was deadly and fateful. It ended in 1939, when Japan invaded China. Some said he betrayed his Chinese masters and crossed to the Japanese because of his affiliation to his birth country, but most people believed it was because the Japanese government had offered him more money."

"“So what exactly did you find out?” Dinesh asked.

"“Well, first we smoked opium and hallucinated,” Akhtar laughed.

"“Isn’t opium illegal?” Rupali asked, not sure she approved of this.

"“Not here.” Singh shook his head. “Everyone smokes the stuff in these small Chinese towns.”

"“However, what is rare, even in the heartland of China, is this.” Akhtar showed them a small glass bottle.

"“Heroin,” Singh clarified. “It delivers a more potent dose of opium than opium itself. Following the 1924 ban on heroin in the US, black markets for the substance mushroomed in China towns across America.”

"“They get their supply from China,” Akhtar added. “A supply guaranteed and maintained by numerous men like Kobayashi.”"

"Kobayashi gets his supply of heroin from Shan, down south. A motorcade arrives at his camp from the fields every week.”

"“And one motorcade arrived yesterday,” Singh added. “So we have a week to plan our way in.”

"“Are we going to ambush the motorcade?” Harman Singh asked.

"“I wouldn’t dare do that,” Akhtar laughed. “The motorcade carries enough firepower to flatten an army. It is said to have ten tanks and five dozen men with rifles.”"

" ... they could have met in Singapore, where there were many Japanese military men in the occupied British colony. ... Akhtar perhaps knew her as a regular client or from having used her in his operations, as he planned to use her again. Whatever the circumstances of their acquaintance, Sasha flew from Tokyo to Manchuria on 15th August 1948, the first anniversary of independent India. And she flew in exclusively for Akhtar."

Author credits Kobayashi with disappearance of netaji, possibly because facts were beyond his capabilities to write about.

"“You could have just asked me. I always liked you, Singh.”

"“You’re not exactly an easy man to meet.”

"“Easier than your Netaji.”

"“You mean Netaji is alive?” Singh asked, astonished. “If he wasn’t,” Kobayashi replied lazily,

"“why would I have to take such pains to present Okura’s ashes as his?”

"“That’s what we wanted to ask you. Why did you do it?”

"“Because Netaji himself asked me to,” Kobayashi said.

"“What…and you did it? why?”

"“For one good reason,” Kobayashi said. “Because he paid me.”"

Fact is, it was arranged by Netaji with help of Japanese authorities.

"According to Kobayashi’s statement to Singh, witnessed by Rupali, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose himself hired the mercenary to down his plane. ... "

Fact is, there never had been any plane crash that day on that airfield.

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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................................................................................................

16 THE GEISHA

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"“I saw them for the last time in China, in 1949.”

"“What were they doing there?” Why had five ex-INA soldiers ended up in China two years after Independence, Jay wondered. It didn’t make any sense.

"“I told you, they were on a mission.”

"“What was the mission?”

"Sasha paused for a moment, trying to remember the details. It had all happened so long ago. “To find and rescue Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. The case of Bose’s plane crash remains one of the most intriguing unsolved mysteries of modern India, does it not?” she said, looking out of the windows at the night sky. “Indeed, Mr. Bose did phenomenal work raising the INA in Singapore. He was truly a pillar for India’s independence. I know. I was there.”

"Jay felt dizzy as he quickly explained the history to Tanya, realizing how unpredictable this puzzle had become. “Historical records say he died in a plane crash in 1945. But there have been conspiracy theories from as early as the 1950s.”

"“Are you saying he survived?” Tanya asked Sasha. “And Jay’s grandparents were trying to find him in Russia?”

"“No.” Sasha shook her head. “I’m not saying they were trying to find him. I am saying they found him.”"

This chapter is crowded with disclosures and discoveries. Jay and Tanya meet Sasha who tells them about his mother, her parents, their mission and its success in finding that Netaji was alive, the mission compromised due to Singh meeting a British officer, and more.

Author introduces a journalist based on Anuj Dhar but makes her female. Jay also spots Russians on their tail.

"“Have you ever heard of Dr. Satyanarayan Sinha?”"

" ... a Russian agent called Kozlov had told him Netaji was doing time in Russia.”

"“And who was this Kozlov?”

"“A double agent, working for the British,” Anu told him. “Dr. Sinha knew him from his days in Calcutta. Kozlov was caught by the KGB and served time in Yakutsk, the biggest gulag in Siberia, until he was rescued through British diplomacy.”

"“So Kozlov saw Netaji in Yakutsk?”

"“He did.”

"“So why did this theory fail to gain ground?”

"“Because the English General who went to Yakutsk to secure Kozlov’s release in 1949, disputed his testimony.” Anu browsed on her cell phone for the details. “He said he had been given access to the internal files of the Yakutsk Gulag and that Netaji was not there; that Kozlov was mistaken.” She held out her phone and showed Jay a newspaper article."

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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17 YAKUTSK

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"“The man you describe came here four years ago,” Hachiko said.

"“That was 1945. Does he recall the month?”

"The Russian showed his yellow teeth and nodded. “Winter. Cold!” he said.

"“Must have been after September,” Hachiko surmised.

"“What happened to the man?”

"“He lived here for some days,” Hachiko translated, “then they took him away.”"

"R504 Kolyma Highway, also known as the Road of Bones, was not the stuff of legend but a cruel reality. It was and is, a symbol of how low men can stoop to torture their fellow human beings. The highway is part of the M56 route that runs through the Russian Far East, along the Lena River. The road is so named because it was literally built on dead men’s bones. The construction of the road began in 1932, using gulag labour. Prisoners from the local Siberian gulags were forced to work their life out in the harsh climate. The bones of the men who died while building it were buried along the road.

"The Lena River, where the road ends, was home to the largest gulag in Siberia. Yakutsk had a reputation as a harsh and ruthless place. Singh and the team arrived in Yakutsk in 1949, knowing their target had been taken there. Yakutsk was then known as the coldest town in the world.

"Between 1940–1950, 80,000 to 1,20,000 prisoners were deployed in Siberia. Of these, most lived in the gulags on the banks of the Lena River. The most important ones were lodged in Yakutsk prison. The prison complex was intimidating, with high walls and watchtowers with big spotlights atop them.

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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18 ENGLAND

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"You British like to call yourselves gentlemen, but what nobility have you shown by turning back on your own word? You demonstrated cowardice of the worst kind. Why did you agree to help my friends in the first place if you only wished to snitch on them afterwards?"

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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19 THE PLAN

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"The cold wind ruffled his hair. Singh pulled his overcoat closer as he watched Yakutsk prison from atop the hill. His boots felt damp from the snow that had got into them. He wiggled his toes to keep them warm.

"Within, he felt equally cold and disheartened. If Netaji was inside the prison, this was the chance to rescue him. It was his duty as a veteran of the INA and a citizen of his newly independent country. How he performed in this situation would be an ode to what his country was capable of. He was not merely here to save Netaji. He was here for his country."

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April 14, 2022 - April 14, 2022.

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20 THE HEIST

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"“Oh, just being back on home territory,” Jay told her. “I feel safe here. I feel I can outplay anyone on our trail.”

"“Well, I haven’t seen the two Russians since Hong Kong,” Tanya said, “so I guess we have outplayed them.”

"“With Russians you never know,” Jay cautioned. “Remember Stalingrad!”"

................................................................................................

"“Our targets landed before me and have disappeared after leaving the airport.” Alexis said. “Much to my displeasure, I had to get our local teams involved in this highly covert operation; something I was trying to avoid. But your incompetence left me with no choice.”

"“What are the locals going to do?” Charkov asked.

"“I am having the target’s parents, business associates and subordinates watched, in case he contacts them.”"

................................................................................................

"“What you propose to do carries too much risk, with almost zero chance of survival. I can’t let you do this, nor do it myself.”

"“Actually, you can,” Tanya said, leaning forward.

"Lee merely shook his head and poured another round of whiskey for them.

"“The Grime Hypothesis,” Jay said, raising his glass to his lips.

"Lee nervously drummed his fingers on the table. “What’s he talking about?” he asked Tanya.

"“It’s rather simple,” she said. “It’s gotta do with probability.”

"“What’s the hypothesis?”

"“A conspiracy cannot remain a conspiracy forever.” Jay put down his glass. “Secrets cannot be kept forever.”

"“And who is this Grime?” Lee mocked. “Some internet Guru?”

"Jay shook his head. “Actually, he was a physicist at Oxford.”

"“An expert in radiation physics,” Tanya added.

"“And what is his hypothesis based on?” Lee asked.

"“His equations,” Jay said. “While studying subatomic particles, he realized that their behaviours are very similar to humans, rather too similar.”

"“And how do conspiracies come into this?”

"“What Grime discovered was fantastic,” Tanya told him. “He found that his equations predicting the behaviours of particles, could predict the behaviours of humans too.”

................................................................................................

"“What’s happened, Boss?” Charkov asked.

"Alexis frowned. “They hoodwinked us into following them here, to India.”

"“So where are they headed now?” Sergei asked.

"Alexis turned off the Sat phone. “To Russia,” he said."

................................................................................................

" ... “I realized by the time we left the General’s house that the Russians had been following us. We couldn’t go into their country with them hot on our trail. So I brought them to mine.”

"“So what Lee planned was not an infiltration into the NAI?”

"“No,” Jay laughed. “What Lee did was get us tickets to Russia under false identities. No one would dream of breaking into the NAI. Not even me. I just played that part to mislead the Russians.”

"“I shall take my secret to the grave,” Jay recalled. “I didn’t realize till recently that he meant it literally.”"

"They drifted into slumber, holding each other, somewhere over Tibet."

"“Can’t we ask the Siberian Chief to step in?” Sergei asked.

"Alexis shook his head. “This operation is classified. We have to handle this.”

"“We’ll catch them in Yakutsk then,” said Charkov."

"“We’ll catch him, Boss,” Charkov said. “He won’t escape this time.”

"Alexis took a deep breath. “No, he won’t. But catching him is just the beginning.”"

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"Yakutsk, located in Russian Siberia, had the reputation of being the coldest city in the world. Winters there were colder and longer than in Alaska. ... After a direct flight to Verkoyansk, they had driven along the infamous Kolyma Highway to reach Yakutsk in less than a day."

Author has everything topsy-turvy. Yakutsk is the larger town, with an Airport as of now. Verkhoyansk has none closer than the one at Yakutsk. Yakutsk is and was larger town, whole Verkhoyansk was never more than gulag for several decades.

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April 15, 2022 - April 15, 2022.

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21 THE ESCAPE

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He also establishes, in the same flashback, a Sikh and by association, also all Hindu people, as exactly the opposite.

This is an out and out lie, on both counts, not only historically throughout, through histories of wars as conducted by Hindus vs those by islamic hordes, but right down to Noakhali and further.

And the riots, thereafter, weren't one sided, either, contrary to the propaganda against Hindus ever since.

They were supposed to be as much a genocide of Hindus as had been achieved in Kashmir in 1990, West Punjab and NWFP in 1947, and East Bengal between 1946-1971 and present.

So the whole maligning of Hindus, in overdrive from 2002 on, is because the intended genocide of Hindus in Gujarat failed. Instead, lies propaganda took its place ever since.

Author is driven by writing in accord.

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"“Netaji disguised himself as a Caucasian before,” Harman reminded him, “when he escaped from Calcutta.”"

Incorrect, unless Indians are all classified as caucasuan, which was so until a separate classification was applied from India from a racist point of view.

Netaji had dressed as a muslim and specifically as a Pathan.

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Now author makes up a complete false story.

He has Singh rescue a prisoner at yakutsk because he can tell about Netaji’s whereabouts but only if he's rescued first.

"“Let’s begin with your name,” Singh said. “What’s your name?”

"The man took a sip of the hot liquid and then looked up.

"“Bormann,” he said. “Martin Bormann.”"

Martin Bormann is a famous name, and he wasn't one of those who vanished without a trace.

According to Wikipedia

So by making up a story about him, author indicates that he's completely frivolous about history, Netaji and everything else?

................................................................................................

Author makes up more lies.

And the name Netaji was given by Indians in Germany, not by any German.

"“What was this technology you speak of?” Singh asked.

"“The one that ended the war,” said Bormann. “The nuclear bomb.”"

No, this and further explanation by author is false. Germans were convinced that nuclear bomb was impossible, and surprised when informed otherwise.

Moreover they were far more disbelieving that if Germany couldn't, others, especially US including Jewish scientists, had done it.