Subhas Chandra Bose (born January 23, 1897, Cuttack, Orissa [now Odisha], India—died August 18, 1945?, Taihoku City, Formosa [now Taipei, Taiwan]?) was an Indian revolutionary prominent in the Indian Independence Movement against British rule. Popularly known as Netaji, he led an armed force composed of former Indian prisoners of war and volunteers from the Indian expatriate community. The Indian National Army, as the force was called, was aligned with the Axis powers and opposed the Allied powers during World War II. Although Bose was initially a member of the Indian National Congress (Congress Party) and a devoted supporter of Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi, he later parted ways with both because of differences over the strategy for achieving independence.

“Friends! My comrades in the war of liberation…, it is blood alone that can pay the price of freedom. Give me blood, and I promise you freedom!”

Bose was known in particular for his revolutionary approach to independence and for his push for socialist policies. He was determined to achieve freedom at any cost, a resolve captured in his famous exhortation “Friends! My comrades in the war of liberation…, it is blood alone that can pay the price of freedom. Give me blood, and I promise you freedom!” His death remains a subject of debate, inspiring several books and movies. Bose is often regarded as having been among the greatest Bengalis of all time.