Chapter 4F: unknown to Bose or BN – someone was plotting to eliminate them. BN was the ultimate insider of the World War. He knew more about battlefronts in Europe than the British did. He could see that the Allies would win. And the other side would become “bad debt”. The promissory notes would become toilet paper. He also knew that supporting a government in exile would not be good for his business with the British.
His joint stock companies could not be listed because the Bombay Club opposed everything he did. He was now getting a very uneasy feel about Nehru. He asked Bose to prepare but to wait for his instructions before starting. They met again in Delhi. Nehru dropped in for a chat. A confidential one. One involving military action.
Bose went back. The British Police were waiting for him. They had been tipped off. By whom ??? This is a mystery yet to be solved. They were looking for a large box of money. They found none. Bose was placed under house arrest.
And then one day:
Bose, disguised as a Pathan named “Ziauddin,” walked past British surveillance, drove out of the city at night with his nephew Sisir Kumar Bose, and boarded a train from Gomoh—leaving behind an empire scrambling. His route wasn’t just daring—it was audacious:
Calcutta → Peshawar → Kabul → Berlin. This was the route BN controlled.
All of this in the middle of World War II.
The British intelligence system—one of the most powerful in the world—missed him until it was too late. Sometimes, the boldest move isn’t confrontation—it’s disappearing at the right moment and reappearing where it changes the game.
It is the first time that there was discord between the British High Command and BN. BN wanted Bose to be made President of an undivided India. And in return, his insider in the opposing camp would help the Allies to win. This is a deal that was hidden in British confidentiality.
The proposal wasn’t rejected outright. There wasn’t much of an argument on the competence of Bose. He had maxed the civil services exam, but resigned to pursue politics. Messages were wired: “Bose was not to be harmed”. This is a part of history almost no one knows.
The diaries of Bose in Singapore formed the base for the movie – Paradise Road -released in 1997. Paradise Road was produced by my friends Gregory Coote and Andrew Yap. The same duo that created Anytime Pte shortly thereafter. And Anytime created Dune Entertainment Fund led by Gregory Coote and Steve Mnuchin. Steve became the treasury secretary of the United Stares under Donald Trump. 100 dollar notes carry his signature. And Dune went on to produce Avatar – the biggest grosser in Hollywood history. The online video stack developed by Anytime is now Netflix.
But back to Bose.
He collected the promissory note. And it was large enough to get him an army. Dr Lakshmi from Chennai became his second in command.