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Abid Hasan

Overview

Abid Hasan was an Indian nationalist and an officer of the Indian National Army (INA) led by Subhas Chandra Bose during the Second World War. He is remembered as a close aide of Bose, accompanying him on the famous submarine voyage from Germany to Southeast Asia in 1943, and is often associated with the popularisation of the salutation Jai Hind, which was adopted as the standard greeting of the INA and later became a common patriotic expression in independent India.

Key facts

Name Abid Hasan
Also known as Abid Hasan Safrani
Nationality Indian
Known for Officer of the Indian National Army; aide to Subhas Chandra Bose
Associated movement Indian independence movement
Associated organisation Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj)
Notable association Submarine transfer of Subhas Chandra Bose from Germany to Japanese-held Asia, 1943

Background

Abid Hasan came from Hyderabad in the Deccan and travelled to Europe for higher studies, where he became drawn into the activities of Indian nationalists abroad. During the late 1930s and early 1940s a number of Indian students and expatriates in Germany came into contact with the Free India Centre and the broader effort to organise Indian prisoners of war and civilians against British colonial rule.

Role in the Indian National Army

Hasan joined the Indian nationalist effort in Germany associated with Subhas Chandra Bose, who had reached Berlin in 1941 to seek Axis support for Indian independence. He worked within the circle around Bose that helped organise the Indian Legion (Legion Freies Indien), formed largely from Indian prisoners of war captured in North Africa.

Submarine voyage of 1943

In early 1943, when Bose decided to shift his base of operations from Europe to Southeast Asia, Abid Hasan was the only Indian companion chosen to travel with him. The two left Germany aboard the German submarine U-180, transferred at sea off the coast of Madagascar to the Japanese submarine I-29, and eventually reached Japanese-held territory in Southeast Asia. The voyage is regarded as one of the most unusual journeys of the Second World War.

Service in Southeast Asia

After arriving in Southeast Asia, Hasan continued to serve in the reorganised Indian National Army under Bose's leadership, working alongside other senior INA figures during the campaigns associated with the Provisional Government of Free India (Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind), proclaimed in 1943.

"Jai Hind"

Abid Hasan is widely credited with proposing the greeting Jai Hind ("Victory to India") as a neutral salutation that could be used by Indians of all religions and regions within the INA. Bose adopted it as the official greeting of the Azad Hind movement, and after independence it passed into general use in India, including in official and military contexts.

Later life

After Indian independence in 1947, Abid Hasan, like several other former INA personnel, joined the Indian Foreign Service. He served the Government of India as a diplomat in various postings abroad before retiring.

Significance

Abid Hasan occupies a notable place in the history of the Indian independence movement as a personal aide to Subhas Chandra Bose during a critical phase of the INA's formation. His association with the submarine journey of 1943 and with the adoption of Jai Hind have made him a recurring figure in histories and memoirs of the Azad Hind movement.

References