Subhas Chandra Bose And Emilie Schenkl's Love Saga: She Was His Employee, Father's Disapproval, More

Subhas Chandra Bose, popularly called as 'Netaji', is hands-down one of the most respected and idolised freedom fighters in Indian history. He was one of the first people who believed in the power of armed struggle to gain India's freedom. It was his revolutionary ideation that made Subhas Chandra Bose the leader of Azad Hind Fauj, aka Indian National Army (INA). Even to this day, people talk about his iconic call, "Tum Mujhe Khoon Do, Main Tumhe Aazadi Dunga", which changed the entire face of India's freedom struggle.

Subhas Chandra Bose also served as the President of the Indian National Congress twice (1938 and 1939). However, due to his differences with Mahatma Gandhi, he resigned from the party and formed the Forward Bloc. It is often stated that Netaji passed away on August 18, 1945, in a plane crash in Taiwan. But even to this very day, there's no crystal clear evidence to support this claim. Although everyone is aware of his role in India's independence, Subhas Chandra Bose's personal life often remained in the shadows. 

Who is Emilie Schenkl? Meet Subhas Chandra Bose's Australian wife, who fell in love with the Indian nationalist

According to a report in Dainik Bhaskar, Subhas Chandra Bose wanted to document the story of the freedom struggle so that future generations could learn about it. Despite being extremely busy with numerous things, Netaji never skipped a moment to pen down his struggle for freedom whenever he had time. There came a moment when he decided to write a book and needed a typist to write his words quickly. At that time, Netaji was in Vienna, Austria, and when he told one of his friends, Dr. Mathur, about his need for a typist, the latter sent two typists to him for the job.

Among the two typists who came to Subhas Chandra Bose to work under him, one was a 23-year-old Australian girl named Emilie Schenkl. It was a moment of love at first sight for the iconic freedom fighter, who was mesmerised by her intelligence and looks. It was back in June 1934 when Subas Chandra Bose interviewed Emilie for the typist job under him. The trained stenographer impressed Subhas Chandra Bose with her typing speed and was hired by the Indian revolutionary.

Subhas Chandra Bose and Emilie Schenkl's secret wedding: The couple had an age difference of 13 years

While working together, Netaji and Emilie Schekl became 'good friends'. Despite having an age gap of 13 years, Emilie and Netaji fell in love with each other. The book that played cupid in their love story was titled The Indian Struggle. After meeting Emilie, Subhas Chandra Bose experienced a series of positive changes in his personality. The couple's relationship deepened when they were living in Australia and Czechoslovakia from 1934 to March 1936.

According to several reports, Subhas Chandra Bose and Emilie Schekl got married on December 26, 1937, in Bad Gastein, Austria. The couple got married as per the traditional Hindu wedding ceremony but without the presence of a Hindu priest. The couple's marriage remained a secret for many years. According to historian, Leonard A. Gordon, many people who were close to Subhas Chandra Bose felt that Emilie wasn't truly in love with him and was just using him to live at a comfortable place during the turbulent time of war.

It was on November 29, 1942, when Subhas Chandra Bose and Emilie Schekl became parents of a baby girl whom they named Anita Bose. As per several reports, Subhas Chandra Bose never acknowledged his marriage with Emilie publicly, but he had given a handwritten letter to her with instructions for it to be posted to his brother, Sarat Chandra Bose, during the time of his death. After reports of Subhas Chandra Bose's demise, several members of Netaji's family welcomed Emilie and her daughter to be a part of their family. Still, the Australian typist never went to India. Emilie remained tight-lipped about her marriage with Netaji for the rest of her life, and Emilia eventually passed away silently in 1996. 

Subhas Chandra Bose's wife, Emilie Schekl's father, was against her relationship with him initially

One of the most interesting anecdotes from Subhas Chandra Bose and Emilie Schekl's love story is that the latter's father was never initially in favour of their relationship. Emilie's father was furious after he got to know that his daughter was working under an Indian. However, after he had met Subhas Chandra Bose and talked to him over a series of things, he liked his personality. During their seven-year and eight-month marriage, Subhas Chandra Bose only spent over three years with Emilie. After their last meeting in February 1943, Netaji allegedly died in August 1945, and Emilie lived with his memories until her passing in 1996.

In picture: Subhas Chandra Bose's daughter, Anita Bose

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