<P> Among the INA personnel, there was widespread disbelief, shock, and trauma . Most affected were the young Tamil Indians from Malaya and Singapore, both men and women, who comprised the bulk of the civilians who had enlisted in the INA . The professional soldiers in the INA, most of whom were Punjabis, faced an uncertain future, with many fatalistically expecting reprisals from the British . In India the Indian National Congress's official line was succinctly expressed in a letter Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi wrote to Rajkumari Amrit Kaur. Said Gandhi, "Subhas Bose has died well . He was undoubtedly a patriot, though misguided ." Many congressmen had not forgiven Bose for quarrelling with Gandhi and for collaborating with what they considered was Japanese fascism . The Indian soldiers in the British Indian army, some two and a half million of whom had fought during the Second World War, were conflicted about the INA . Some saw the INA as traitors and wanted them punished; others felt more sympathetic . The British Raj, though never seriously threatened by the INA, tried 300 INA officers for treason in the INA trials, but eventually backtracked . </P> <P> On 23 August 2007, Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe visited the Subhas Chandra Bose memorial hall in Kolkata . Abe said to Bose's family "The Japanese are deeply moved by Bose's strong will to have led the Indian independence movement from British rule . Netaji is a much respected name in Japan . </P> <P> The following words are inscribed on a brass shield in front of the chair . </P> <P> "Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in order to free India from the shackles of British imperialism organized the Azad Hind Government from outside the country on October 21, 1943 . Netaji set up the Provisional Government of Independent India (Azad Hind) and transferred its headquarter at Rangoon on January 7, 1944 . On the 5th April, 1944, the "Azad Hind Bank" was inaugurated at Rangoon . It was on this occasion that Netaji used this chair for the first time . Later the chair was kept at the residence of Netaji at 51, University Avenue, Rangoon, where the office of the Azad Hind Government was also housed . Afterwards, at the time of leaving Burma, the Britishers handed over the chair to the family of Mr. A.T. Ahuja, the well known business man of Rangoon . The chair was officially handed over to the Government of India in January 1979 . It was brought to Calcutta on the 17th July, 1980 . It has now been ceremonially installed at the Red Fort on July 7, 1981 ." </P>

Essay on role of subhash chandra bose in freedom struggle