Azad Hind Fauj silver medal returns home from UK
Rohit Khanna | TNN | May 12, 2016, 12.24 PM IST
Kolkata: An eight-pointed silver radiating star, with a tiger's head and "Azad Hind" embossed on it, has arrived in India. A Sher-e-Hind medal for the non-combat forces of Azad Hind Fauj, believed to be the only one of its class issued by Netaji, is now in possession of a Kolkata-based collector.
For past several years, the medal was with a UK-based dealer till the collector finally managed to bring it back home. "The dealer, Jamie Cross, had bought it at an auction in Germany. He never mentioned when he bought it but the medal is perhaps the only one that was issued by Netaji to non-combat forces," said Prithwish Dasgupta, the collector. The reverse of the medal is inscribed with the name and address of the manufacturer, Rudolph Souval, Wien VII, one of the best-known companies in Germany to produce such badges of high quality and beauty. Besides, the words, "Indiens Freiheits Kampf" (India's Freedom Struggle) are also written on the reverse. Though the medal order was founded in 1942, the first award was granted in 1944.
The Azad Hind Fauj was divided into combat and non-combat forces. For each force, the medal of merit of the lowest class was in bronze. That of the next two higher classes were of silver and gold. But the design remained identical in each class and force. Medals belonging to all the three classes hung from ribbons with vertical stripes of orange, white, green. They were intended to be worn on the left breast pocket. Dasgupta already has two medals of the combat forces that were issued to Captain Sonwal Singh and Captain Ganesh Lal.
The collector came to know about the medal from a London-based friend. Subsequently, he got in touch with Jamie Cross and pursued him to sell the silver medal through the dealer was was initially not too keen on parting with it. Apart from the medal, Cross has handed over to Dasgupta the photocopy of a few pages of a book detailing the medals. "The pages are from a book that has a huge section on Azad Hind Fauj. Cross has sent me photocopies of a few pages that deal with the Azad Hind medals," Dasgupta said.
Chandra Bose, Netaji's great-grandnephew, pointed out that very little details about the Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauj could be found. "The earlier government had not disclosed anything about the army. INA hoisted the national flag at Moirang in Manipur, but we don't even know how this great army fought the battle," said Bose. According to him, whatever information we have after Netaji left India is all hearsay. "The medal and the book excerpts will not only tell us how he recognized the warriors, but also offer more inputs in reconstructing the history of INA," Bose said.
Samarjit Ghoshal, general secretary of Numismatic Society of India, called the medal's return "yet another feather in the city's cap", given the rarity of the article. "Usually, a few parameters are considered for medals or coins to judge their authenticity. First, its weight, followed by the reputation of the dealer. The UK-based dealer seems to be authentic. We plan to showcase it in our next exhibition," Ghoshal said.
For past several years, the medal was with a UK-based dealer till the collector finally managed to bring it back home. "The dealer, Jamie Cross, had bought it at an auction in Germany. He never mentioned when he bought it but the medal is perhaps the only one that was issued by Netaji to non-combat forces," said Prithwish Dasgupta, the collector. The reverse of the medal is inscribed with the name and address of the manufacturer, Rudolph Souval, Wien VII, one of the best-known companies in Germany to produce such badges of high quality and beauty. Besides, the words, "Indiens Freiheits Kampf" (India's Freedom Struggle) are also written on the reverse. Though the medal order was founded in 1942, the first award was granted in 1944.
The Azad Hind Fauj was divided into combat and non-combat forces. For each force, the medal of merit of the lowest class was in bronze. That of the next two higher classes were of silver and gold. But the design remained identical in each class and force. Medals belonging to all the three classes hung from ribbons with vertical stripes of orange, white, green. They were intended to be worn on the left breast pocket. Dasgupta already has two medals of the combat forces that were issued to Captain Sonwal Singh and Captain Ganesh Lal.
The collector came to know about the medal from a London-based friend. Subsequently, he got in touch with Jamie Cross and pursued him to sell the silver medal through the dealer was was initially not too keen on parting with it. Apart from the medal, Cross has handed over to Dasgupta the photocopy of a few pages of a book detailing the medals. "The pages are from a book that has a huge section on Azad Hind Fauj. Cross has sent me photocopies of a few pages that deal with the Azad Hind medals," Dasgupta said.
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Good information.Chandra Bose, Netaji's great-grandnephew, pointed out that very little details about the Indian National Army or Azad Hind Fauj could be found. "The earlier government had not disclosed anything about the army. INA hoisted the national flag at Moirang in Manipur, but we don't even know how this great army fought the battle," said Bose. According to him, whatever information we have after Netaji left India is all hearsay. "The medal and the book excerpts will not only tell us how he recognized the warriors, but also offer more inputs in reconstructing the history of INA," Bose said.
Samarjit Ghoshal, general secretary of Numismatic Society of India, called the medal's return "yet another feather in the city's cap", given the rarity of the article. "Usually, a few parameters are considered for medals or coins to judge their authenticity. First, its weight, followed by the reputation of the dealer. The UK-based dealer seems to be authentic. We plan to showcase it in our next exhibition," Ghoshal said.
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Vintage Azad Hind Medal - India & Germany - Indiens Freiheits Kampf ...
www.ebay.co.uk › ... › Original Period Items › Germany › Medals, Pins & Ribbons
Vintage Azad Hind Medal - India & Germany - Indiens Freiheits Kampf in Collectibles, Militaria, WW II (1939-45) | eBay.AZAD HIND India Germany Pendant/Medal Indiens Freiheits KampfSee original listing | ||
Item condition:
Used
“Some spotting on the metal but otherwise in very good condition.”
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Ended:
Nov 12, 2014 , 7:52AM
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Item location:
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www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30011069
... inscription "AZAB HIND" with a fleur-de-Lys underneath. The reverse has the inscription INDIENS FREIHEITS KAMPF superimposed over crossed bars and rays.
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