The new web series Abhay 2, which premiered on 14 August on OTT platform ZEE5, has caused outrage because of the way it used an image of Khudiram Bose, one of India’s youngest freedom fighters. Bose’s image appears in a scene in the show as part of a picture gallery of wanted criminals.
Hey Mr K Ghosh & @ZEE5Premium
Do you know him? He had sacrificed his life for this nation when he was just 18 years old. He was hanging till death for us. Aplog AC car me charke aur crore kamake vul gaye honge in logonko jinke liye aaj aapke itne thaatbaat Hain. #BoycottZee5 pic.twitter.com/CNXQvcBNnc— TANAY BHATTACHARJEE (@tanay__007) August 16, 2020
I would like to believe this was an unintended mistake by the showrunners, who seem to have absolutely no idea about who Khudiram Bose was or his role in the freedom struggle.
In 1908, Bose was appointed to kill Douglas H Kingsford, the Chief Presidency magistrate of Calcutta who was known for meting out brutal punishments to freedom fighters. Bose threw bombs at the carriage in which Kingsford was believed to be travelling, but ended up killing the wife and daughter of barrister Pringle Kennedy instead. He was arrested by the police soon after, and took full responsibility for the entire operation.
When he was sentenced to death, Bose accepted the verdict with a smile, much to the shock of the English judge. He was eventually hanged to death on 11 August 1908.
Also read: If you opened the newspapers from 15 August 1947, here are the freedom ads you would see
Poor research
Even if there was no malintent on their part, such lack of knowledge and poor research about India’s youngest freedom fighter, who was hanged by the British when he was merely 18 years old, is unpardonable.
It is shameful that the makers of Abhay 2 didn’t know how Bose looked but still used an image of him. The young revolutionary gave up his life for India’s freedom. Wasn’t his sacrifice great enough to be regarded with the same respect and recognition as other freedom fighters?
It is beyond my comprehension as to how the crime thriller series, ironically helmed by a Bengali director, Ken Ghosh, could commit such a major goof-up.
Lack of recognition
Khudiram Bose sacrificed his life “with a smile” when he was just at the cusp of adulthood. Stories about the love he had for his motherland have been shared over generations, through popular folktales in Bengal. But outside the state, his name remains largely in the shadows. This could be because Bose never received the limelight that other freedom fighters got. Even after his death, his story never made it to popular culture, be it in films, biopics, TV shows, or well-known books based on India’s freedom movement. Everyone knows about Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and others, but there has hardly been any mention of Khudiram Bose in mainstream discussions about the freedom struggle.
It is also surprising that from Bengal, only Netaji received national attention. This, despite the fact that the state was a hotbed of the Independence movement, and gave numerous freedom fighters, including Masterda Surya Sen, Prafulla Chaki, Matangini Hazra, the famous trio, Binoy Badal Dinesh, Pritilata Waddedar — but all of them still remain relatively unknown, just like Khudiram Bose.
Half-hearted apology
The blunder didn’t end with the wrongful use of Bose’s image. ZEE5 went a step further by issuing a problematic apology — a statement saying they didn’t mean to “offend any community or hurt anybody’s sentiments”.
What do they mean by ‘any community’? Was Khudiram Bose just a Bengali freedom fighter and died only for his own state?
Whoever wrote that apology must have clearly Googled Khudiram Bose’s name in a haste, and after finding that he was a freedom fighter from Bengal, concluded that only Bengalis would be outraged over portraying him as a “criminal”.
This not only reflects a shallow mindset, but also undermines Bose’s struggle and sacrifice for the nation.
Also read: MN Roy, the Indian revolutionary who founded Mexican Communist Party
Not just a ‘Bengali hero’
Bose might be from Bengal, but he fought against the tyranny of colonialism for the Independence of our entire country. Any Indian citizen, and not just Bengalis, should feel enraged that Bose’s image was placed in a picture gallery of wanted fugitives.
His death did not just inspire young people in Bengal to join the freedom movement, but ignited the nation’s collective fury against British rule.
He is a national treasure, not just a Bengali freedom hero, as many Bengalis on social media rightfully pointed out.
Oh, Khudiram Basu is just an odd sentiment of a community not a martyr of Bharath Varsa's freedom struggle?
Thanks for the truth.
— Shashangko Mitro (@shashangko) August 16, 2020
Blurring the image is not enough. Is it still there
And what do you mean by "any community" ?
Kshudiram Basu didn't fight for any specific community, he fought for all the Indians for an independent India..— Susmita (@susmi09) August 16, 2020
Any mention of Bose is incomplete without an ode to the famous song penned by poet Pitambar Das in his honour.
Young Bose’s fearlessness, bravery and love for his motherland have been aptly captured in Das’ immortal song that opens with these powerful lines: Ekbar biday de Maa ghure ashi, Hashi hashi porbo phasi dekhbe bharatbasi (Mother, bid me farewell once, I will be back soon, India will watch me while I wear the noose with a smile).
Such moving lyrics not only remind me of the passion Bose had for his motherland, but also causes a lump in my throat every time I hear it.
Views are personal.