300 HIS MAJESTY’S OPPONENT
immortal comrades and yourselves will certainly achieve their ful-
fillment.”^143 And to the Indian civilians who had responded with un-
precedented enthusiasm to his call for total mobilization, he had this
to say:
Sisters and Brothers,
A glorious chapter in the his tory of India’s Struggle for Freedom
has just come to a close and, in that chapter, the sons and daughters of
India in East Asia will have an undying place.
You set a shining example of pa tri ot ism and self- sac ri fice by
pouring out men, money and materials into the struggle for India’s in-
de pen dence. I shall never forget the spontaneity and enthusiasm with
which you responded to my call for “Total Mobilization.” You sent an
unending stream of your sons and daughters to the camps to be trained
as soldiers of the Azad Hind Fauj and of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment.
Money and materials you poured lavishly into the war chest of the
Provisional Government of Azad Hind. In short, you did your duty as
true sons and daughters of India. I regret more than you do that your
suf ferings and sac ri fices have not borne immediate fruit. But they have
not gone in vain, because they have ensured the emancipation of our
motherland and will serve as an undying inspiration to Indians all over
the world. Posterity will bless your name, and will talk with pride about
your offerings at the altar of India’s Freedom and about your positive
achievement as well.Urging them never to falter in their faith in India’s destiny, Netaji con-
fi dently declared that “India shall be free and before long.”^144
At ten o’clock that night, Bose’s cabinet gathered once more after
dinner on the verandah of his Singapore bungalow. The meeting lasted
five hours, until three in the morning. “It did not take us long,” Ayer
writes, “to persuade Netaji fi nally that he must get out of Singapore.”
Kiani remembers disagreeing with this plan. He tried to convince Ne-
taji “that his going to Russia would not be as useful as his staying in
Singapore,” which had served as the headquarters of his revolutionary
government and army. The hopes and aspirations of Indians had been
raised there. He suggested that the forces stay together and surrender