#DidYouKnow #TimeLapse
According to Kanailal Basu’s book 'Netaji: Rediscovered', the Azad Hind Bank was formed in Rangoon (now Yangon) in Burma (now Myanmar) in April 1944 for the purpose of organising funds to finance the war effort against the British. The bank printed Indian currency notes and managed contributions from Indians from across the world.
In the 1980s, Ram Kishore Dubey, a retired contractor with the State Irrigation Department, discovered one of these note in his grandfather’s Ramayana book, but did not realise its historical significance till later.
“My grandfather, Praagilal, worked for Netaji in the Azaad Hind Fauj and passed away in 1958,” says Dubey.
“He used to stay away from the family for months on end working covertly for the INA [Indian National Army] in the Bundelkhand region on a recruitment drive for its Jhansi ki Rani Regiment, led by Lakshmi Swaminathan. He gave up his land for the cause of the army and so Netaji rewarded him with this note promising him the amount in independent India.”
The currency found by Dubey, of denomination one lakh, had a photograph of Bose on the left side and a pre-independence map of the Indian territory with the inscription “ swatantra bharat” in Hindi on the other. In the middle were inscribed the words “ Jai Hind” in English, with the words “I promise to pay the bearer the sum of one Lac” below it.
On the top of the note was a series of flags of the Azad Hind Fauj over a bold inscription saying “Bank of Independence” with “good wishes” inscribed at the bottom.
P.S. For those who'd like a firsthand glimpse of these rare pieces of history, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Birthplace Museum in Cuttack, Odisha has a rare collection of coins and currency notes which were issued by the Azad Hind Bank.
Here's a story you may like: https://www.thebetterindia.com/62600/rama-ben-oldest-tour-guide-india-ina-veteran/
-Grishma.
