Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: ‘Look Here I Have Mixed Your Hindu And Muslim Cha And Made Jai-Hind Cha Out Of It”
By
Saquib Salim, New Age Islam
26-11-2022
The British divided Indians in every
possible fashion. As a result back then at public places, like railway
stations, one could find separate water tanks for Hindus and Muslims, brazenly
called. Hindu Pani and Muslim Pani. Similarly, food and tea stalls also had a
Hindu or a Muslim tag….
Capt Lakshmi Sehgal with Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose
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A Slice
Of History
When Netaji
Subhas Chandra Bose organised Azad Hind Fauj, he ensured that communal division
do not plague the national freedom struggle. Religions of soldiers did not
define their commitment to India. Lakshmi Sehgal of the Indian National Army
(INA) said, “Hindu, Muslim. Sikh and Christian all felt that they were Indians
first, last and always.”
In 1945,
after the War was over, soldiers were arrested and brought to India by the
British. Trains ferried these soldiers as Prisoners of War. On one such
instant, a battalion of INA soldiers on-board a train, under arrest of the
British, heard cries of tea vendors at a railway station - Muslim Cha, Hindu
Cha (Muslim tea, Hindu tea). The INA soldiers felt agitated. They had not
imagined that their country for which they had been waging a war was still
divided along religions.
Lakshmi
Sehgal recalled, “what a shock to get back to India and hear on our very first
railway journey at home, after an absence of six years, the voice of cha (tea)
vendors calling out ‘Hindu Cha’ and ‘Muslim Cha’. Such a thing
went against the grain of every member of INA.”
The INA
officers deplored this communalism and expressed hopelessness. It was when an
INA Sepoy stood up and told everyone that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had taught
us to act instead of witnessing a situation helplessly.
A newspaper
reported, “he jumped out of the train and set for both the tea vendors. Heading
out his battered mess tin he asked the Hindu Cha Wallah to pour a cup
into it and then turning to the Muslim Char Wallah, asked him to do
likewise. Then turning to both he said: ‘Look here I have mixed your Hindu and
Muslim cha and made Jai-Hind Cha (Jai-Hind Tea) out of It.”
Separate
water, tea and food for Hindus and Muslims at railway stations was banned a few
months later when Asaf Ali took charge of the Railway Ministry in the interim
government.
Source: What was Jai-Hind Tea of Azad Hind
Fauj?
URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/netaji-bose-hindu-muslim-cha-jai-hind-tea/d/128494