Freedom fighter Lt Bharati ‘Asha’ Sahay Choudhury, aged 95, shared her reminiscences and encounters battling with the British for the freedom on 24 January of the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet. Tanvi Srivastava, the granddaughter-in-law of Asha, commenced the session by recalling the life story of Asha-san, followed by the launch of her remarkable Japanese memoir, “The War Diary of Asha-san”.

The autobiography was written in the form of journals in Japanese (as she was born and brought up there, she is more fluent in Japanese than in any other languages). She used to write her daily grind of fighting in combat zones on scraps of paper she could find, and she kept this diary with her from 1943 to 1947. Twenty years later, after she finally came back to India after independence, she rephrased her diary into Hindi and titled it “Asha San Ki Subhash Diary”. This version was first published in the Hindi magazine “Dharmayug” in 1973, which then followed over 13 issues. Later, Tanvi translated it from Hindi to English and renamed it “The War Diary of Asha-san”.

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Let us once again revisit the emergence of this brave soul through the discourse of her autobiography.

Asha Sahay Choudhury, popularly known as “Asha-san”, was a member of the Rani Jhansi Regiment (RJR), the first all-women military wing of the world. RJR was the women’s unit of the Indian National Army (INA), also known as the Azad Hind Fauj, formed under the leadership of Subhash Chandra Bose.

Bharati was born in Kobe, Japan, on 2 February 1928, to Anand Mohan Sahay and Sati Sahay. Anand Mohan Sahay was an activist of the Indian Independence League who later became the military secretary of the Indian National Army. His wife, Sati Sen Sahay, joined him a few years later. Together, they started a magazine called “Voice of India” to promote the cause of Indian independence among the citizens of Japan. Anand later opened a branch of the Indian National Congress in Kobe.

The young couple were important players in the Quit India Movement. They took refuge in Japan after the Chauri Chaura incident (1922), when British officers began to arrest freedom fighters who engaged in armed resistance. Anand Sahay then started inculcating patriotism in Japan among the Indians there.

Asha, because of the influence of her patriotic parents, was raised with strong nationalist ideas and learned to oppose Western imperialism from a young age. She attended traditional Japanese schools along with her siblings.

Asha was very young when she met Netaji in Tokyo, and asked for his permission to join the INA. Finally in 1944, she joined the newly-formed Rani of the Jhansi Regiment of the Indian National Army under the leadership of Colonel Lakshmi Sehgal. She fought on the battlefields of Singapore, Malaysia, and Burma, which showed how the freedom struggle of India impacted regions across the globe.

“Training was given in rifle handling, anti-aircraft guns, methods of driving trucks, warfare, etc. I fought on the battlefields of Singapore, Malaysia, and Burma during the war with the British army for the country’s independence. We used to march from Bangkok up to Burma’s frontier. We learned to salute our nation and the flag with utmost love and respect, despite living in another country. We also learned to strike back at the enemy, especially those British people who dominated our motherland. However, this training didn’t turn us into shooting machines with a heart of stone. We could never shoot the sepoys. They were my own countrymen. Many of them even got their nationalist sentiment from us – the women soldiers participating in the war and sacrificing lives without a second thought, and finally surrendered and joined the Azad Hind Force”, Asha tells The Statesman, recalling those bygone years of hers.

Asha kept fighting along with the soldiers of Jhansi camp. In the meantime, when the war ended, she could not reach India. Her father was imprisoned in Central Jail, Singapore. He was later released and returned to Bhagalpur with his family in 1946. In the same year, Asha was married to Patna resident Dr LP Choudhary. Since then, she has come to be known as Asha Choudhary.

In recent years, she has contributed to the development of the academic infrastructure of rural Bihar. She spent a few years teaching and mentoring students there about the love and loyalty that one should have for one’s nation.

“What makes this story special is that it transcends time, space, and language. When one reads this diary, it feels like the individual has been transported back in time. It gives an individual the feeling of battling for freedom on the battlefield. The background is set in Japan, Bangkok, Thailand, and India, as the freedom struggle of our country expanded across the globe. The common man was inspired.

The audience was absolutely thrilled to interact with a regal patriot. The session concluded with Asha-san singing “Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja” which fueled the atmosphere with nationalist sentiments and deep respect and pride for our freedom fighters.

The writer is an intern at The Statesman