The Terrible Price of Freedom 231
in German. An En glish recording of his speech was beamed simultane-
ously to India. In a wide- ranging address, he made a philosophical di-
gression:
To us, life is one long unending wave. It is God manifesting himself in
the infinite va ri ety of creation. It is Leela—an eternal play of forces. In
this cosmic interplay of forces—there is not only sunshine, but there is
also darkness. There is not only joy, but there is also sorrow. There is
not only a rise, but there is also a fall. If we do not lose faith in our-
selves and in our divinity—we shall move on through darkness, sorrow
and degradation towards renewed sunshine, joy and prog ress.^73Subhas Chandra Bose was now ready to ride the wave toward the ful-
fillment of his destiny and that of his country.
The Path of Danger
Seven years earlier, in March 1936, Subhas had left Emilie to go back to
his “first love—my country.” So it was to be again, but now in far more
dif fi cult and dangerous wartime conditions. On February 8, 1943, just
before embarking on his perilous journey from Europe to Asia, he
wrote a poignant letter in Bengali for his elder brother Sarat, and left it
in Emilie’s hands:
Today once again I am embarking on the path of danger. But this time
towards home. I may not see the end of the road. If I meet with any
such danger, I will not be able to send you any further news in this life.
That is why today I am leaving my news here—it will reach you in due
time. I have married here and I have a daughter. In my absence please
show my wife and daughter the love that you have given me through-
out your life.^74Emilie lingered for a few more days at Sophienstrasse in Berlin, to give
the impression that nothing was amiss. Then she returned to Anita in
Vienna.
Always conscious of the need to foster unity among religious com-