152 HIS MAJESTY’S OPPONENT
ious to understand their complaints and to remedy them as far as hu-
manly possible.^35A proposal to launch an in quiry into the conduct of Congress minis-
tries in the Hindu- majority provinces was a red flag to the right wing
of the party comfortably enjoying the fruits of of fice. In addressing the
intertwined challenges to the construction of an all- India nationalism
presented by af fili a tions of religious community and linguistic region,
Bose’s approach was sig nifi cantly different from that of most others in
the Congress leadership, as well as substantially more generous.
As Congress president, Bose pursued the deep interest in interna-
tional affairs he had developed during his European exile. He sent a
Congress medical mission to China as a symbol of solidarity against
Japanese aggression. He encouraged cultural troupes, such as the danc-
ers Uday Shankar and Amala Shankar, to visit Europe and disseminate
Indian arts. He closely monitored po lit i cal and military developments
in Europe as the Third Reich spread its tentacles, and he sharply criti-
cized the British and French betrayal of Czechoslovakia in 1938. On the
death of Kemal Atatürk in November 1938, he held up the father of
modern Turkey as “a mag nifi cent example of the dictum that those
who strive for liberty and win it should also put into effect the pro-
gram of post- war reconstruction.”^36 By the end of the year, he had
come to the conclusion that the international situation was favorable
for launching another mass movement against colonial rule. As rising
tensions in Europe kept Britain off balance, Bose believed India should
press its own national demand for in de pen dence.
Amid hectic po lit i cal activity at the helm of the Indian National
Congress, Bose seemed to be both healthy and happy during 1938. In
mid- year, at Wardha, the Mahatma found Subhas “looking a picture of
health.” “All he needed was work of the type he loves,” Gandhi wrote.
“He has got it and he is happy.”^37 This was a partially accurate assess-
ment of Bose’s state of mind. He was certainly in better health than he
had been since the mid- 1920s, even though he had a bout of in flu enza
and was struck down by malaria in October. In March, he had served as
an advocate for Sita Dharmavir with her parents, so that she could
marry the man of her choice.^38 Yet his own emotional life left behind in