The Japanese Monsoon missions, and the I-29

And its involvement in Indian affairs

During the early 40’s, as the world was engulfed in a great war, pitting the Allies against the Axis, the battles drifted Eastwards, and the skirmishes in the air and over the seas intensified. Frigates churned the waters and bombers roared overhead in many war theaters, while submarines prowled the depths waiting to pounce on enemy warships and merchantmen plying the waters above. German U-boats, Italian Sottomarini, and Japanese Sensuikan competed with British and American submarines in outmaneuvering each other, while radar-equipped B-24s scanned the waters, to swoop down like eagles and bomb them as they surfaced. Through this melee, two Axis submarines, one from Japan and another from Germany, moved in opposite directions, and at each other, intent on a secret mission somewhat connected to the liberation of India.

The Story behind ‘Jai Hind’

A Victory slogan and Abid Hasan Safrani

Many articles and books mention that Champakaraman Pillai was the originator of the usage of “Jai Hind,” and I was also misled by it initially. Though Pillai was a hardcore patriot who fought for Indian independence from Berlin during the early WW1 years and until he died in 1934, he was barely involved with Subhas Bose and the INA. Pillai’s seminal work with the Indian Independence committee is somewhat misunderstood and exaggerated, and requires more research to be retold, which I promise to do another day, as it is still a work in progress. However, I had promised to clear the air about the slogan Jai Hind, and that is our topic for the day.