Under the leadership of Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, as our nation commemorates ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, we take a solemn moment to remember all those brave hearts who sacrificed their lives so that we could live in a free country.

The struggle for independence attracted active participation from all the communities across the nation; however, the contributions of smaller communities, especially those from North East India, have remained relatively unknown.

All that is changing. Thanks to the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ commemoration as envisioned by Modi ji, more and more people are coming to know about freedom fighters from smaller regions and communities too.

The sacrifices and contributions of the Indian Gorkha community towards our freedom struggle and nation building are immense. Sadly, the majority of the people across our nation are unaware of the sacrifices made by our Gorkha ancestors.

As a Member of Parliament from Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency, which is the heart of the Gorkha community in India, and being a Gorkha by ethnicity, here is my humble attempt at highlighting some of the icons from the Indian Gorkha community whose contributions in the history of India’s independence remain relatively unknown among the general population.

Indian National Army Captain Ram Singh Thakuri, Himachal Pradesh

Among the very many celebrated Gorkha freedom fighters, perhaps the one with the most iconic contribution, yet the least-known, remains Captain Ram Singh Thakuri of Himachal Pradesh.

Call it a coincidence or destiny, Captain Thakuri was born on 15 August 1914 to a Gorkha family in Khaniara village, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.

In 1924, he joined the 2/1 Gorkha Rifles as a unit musician. He was a talented young man who was proficient in many fields, including football, athletics, and wrestling.

In the Second World War, his battalion was shipped overseas to Singapore. In 1942, Singapore fell and the Allied forces surrendered to the Japanese. This is when Captain Ram Singh Thakuri joined the Indian National Army (INA).

Soon, he became very popular due to his musical talents, so much so that Netaji (Subhas Chandra Bose) took a note of his talents. An astute military strategist, Netaji understood the power music could have on the morale of the soldiers and asked Thakuri to raise a marching band for the INA.

Captain Thakuri didn’t let Netaji down; he produced some of the most well-known songs from India’s freedom movements, like Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja, Sare Jahan se Accha, Inquilab Zindabad, Hind Sipahi, the Rani of Jhansi Regiment marching song Hum Bharat ki Ladki Hai, among others.

The Azad Hind Government had strongly felt at the time that a national anthem was required, one that would connect all Indians through a common thread of music. While some had favoured the great poet Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Vande Mataram as the national anthem, some others felt it wasn’t inclusive enough.

It was Captain Lakshmi Sahgal who introduced Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s Jana Gana Mana to Netaji, by having it performed at an INA women’s wing meeting which Netaji had attended.

Following that, Netaji instructed Captain Ram Singh Thakuri to re-compose the music of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s version of Jana Gana Mana in a martial tune to which INA soldiers could march.

In one of his interviews, Captain Thakuri fondly recalled Netaji instructing him that "the song should have such an indelible impact and force that the Cathay Building [in Singapore] should ‘break’ into two parts and the sky should become visible.”

While Captain Abid Ali and Mumtaz Hussain rewrote Gurudev’s Jana Gana Mana to शुभ सुख चैन — Subh Sukh Chain ki Barsha Barse, Captain Ram Singh Thakuri gave music to it.

Subh Sukh Chain ki Barsha Barse was adopted by the Provisional Free Government of India (Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind), led by Netaji, as the Qaumi Tarana — National Anthem.

Subh Sukh Chain was played as the national anthem of free India for the first time on 11 September 1942 at Hamburg. When on 31 October 1943, when the INA came to power, the orchestra led by Captain Thakuri played the Qaumi Tarana, the Cathay Building did indeed reverberate thunderously.

The music of Captain Thakuri’s Qaumi Tarana became the base upon which our current national anthem Jana Gana Mana is set. In 1944, Captain Thakuri was decorated by Subhas Chandra Bose with a gold medal for his contribution. Captain Thakuri also received a violin and a saxophone as personal gifts from Netaji.

Captain Thakuri was especially invited to play the Qaumi Tarana when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the Tiranga (the tricolour flag of India) from Lal Quila on 15 August 1947. He then used the violin presented to him by Netaji, who had told him, “You will play this violin when India gets her independence.”

Sadly, after independence, the brave INA freedom fighters were neglected by the governments of the time. Captain Thakuri was appointed as a DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) with the Provincial Arms Constabulary (PAC) band of Uttar Pradesh Police, and he continued to serve our nation through his music till his last days.

Biography

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