Roads to Delhi 267sions that would take part in the Arakan and Imphal campaigns. The
Subhas Brigade of the first division, however, had been promised an
in de pen dent role. In January 1944, General Masakazu Kawabe, the
Japanese commander- in- chief in Burma, suggested to Bose that this
regiment too should be divided into small groups and attached to the
Japanese outfits, just as the field pro pa ganda units had been. Bose flatly
refused. Since three battalions formed a regiment or a brigade, he in-
sisted that the regular INA regiments must retain their identity and
should not be deployed in units smaller than a battalion. The po lit i cal
objective was as im por tant for him as the military one. He wanted the
INA to be seen as the spearhead of the entry into India, even if Indi-
ans were vastly outnumbered by Japanese forces. “The first drop of
blood on Indian soil,” he believed, “should be that of a member of
the INA.”^59
After tough negotiations in January, Bose agreed to have one battal-
ion of the Subhas Brigade take part in the fight against the British West
African division in the Kaladan Valley, and have the other two protect
the strategic routes in the Chin Hills. Once these battalions had acquit-
ted themselves with credit in these operations, he planned to send
them and the other brigades of the first division toward Kohima, Im-
phal, and beyond. He envisaged sending the second division into ac-
tion soon after Imphal was taken, while his third division would be
held in reserve in Malaya. He expected to raise five more INA divisions
from the Indian prisoners who would fall into his hands in Imphal and
Kohima.^60
In addition to negotiating with Japanese military commanders, Bose
spent the month of January 1944 gathering civilian recruits in Burma
for the INA and raising resources from wealthy Indians for his war
chest. Many Bengali women joined the Rani of Jhansi Regiment in
Burma. Lakshmi Swaminathan had come to Burma with several hun-
dred soldiers of her women’s regiment, leaving M. Satyavati Thevar in
charge of the rear headquarters in Singapore. Men from the Tamil- and
Telegu- speaking communities in Burma swelled the ranks of the INA.
The civilian response at Netaji’s public rallies in Burma was as enthusi-
astic as it had been in Malaya. Bose devoted most of his time, however,
to observing the training of the Subhas Brigade and boosting their mo-