Indian Freedom Fighter Event in Yokohama, Japan

This weekend, I was invited as a guest to the annual event in honour of Rash Behari Bose’s death anniversary and Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary. They were freedom fighters who fought for Indian independence, and Rash Behari Bose actually carried out his efforts from here in Japan, establishing the Indian National Army and the Indian Independence League. He lived here in Tokyo until his passing in 1945.

I am actually working on a 6 volume series of books on Rash Behari Bose, which contain translations of Rash Behari Bose’s own writings (which are in Japanese), and well as the writings of people who knew and worked with him. Two volumes are already published. (Link here if you’re interested!) It is titled, Rash Behari Bose: The Father of the Indian National Army.

I had attended this event once before in 2017, as well as other celebrations and ceremonies such as Republic Day at the Indian Embassy in Tokyo, and a Durga Puja event last October. They are always splendid gatherings, with warmhearted people, so I gladly accepted the invitation.

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This year, the event was held at an Indian school in Yokohama, so I left home at 7:15 AM to get there on time. It was two hours each way, but well worth it.

Oh, and on my way there, I saw the perfect example of exactly how not to sit on a crowded commuter train!

I was very surprised to see how large the Indian school was! There must be a huge Indian community in this area. It wasn’t just big, but very nice also. The amenities seemed fabulous, and many things were new and clean.

I was glad to see so many familiar faces, and was welcomed warmly with a delicious cup of chai.

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The speeches and performances began soon after. There were songs, dances and plays. Absolutely captivating, and a pleasure to see.

They were even kind enough to present me with flowers!

After all of the performances, we moved into another warm room. The lovely wife of one of the organizers kindly gave me a lunch set. It was chole bhature (also known as chana bhatura). It was rice, chana masala (chickpea curry), bhatura (fried bread), rice, and a bit of veggies. So delicious!

As I was leaving, I met a wonderful couple, and they even asked me to give a speech about Rash Behari Bose at their school. I am very much looking forward to that!

After everything was over, I explored the surrounding area. There were so many huge and cheap stores! I planned to return much earlier, but I ended up staying for hours!