Punjab Newsline, Shimla-
Principal Advisor to the Chief Minister (Innovation, Digital Technology and Governance) Gokul Butail presented a rare autographed photograph of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu here today.
The historic photograph was gifted to Shri Butail by the nephew of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Surya Bose during his recent visit to Hamburg, Germany.
Butail was part of the Indian delegation attending Hamburg India Week, an international platform aimed at strengthening Indo-German relations. During the event, he paid tribute to Netaji’s enduring legacy and highlighted Hamburg’s special connection to India’s freedom movement.
In 1942, while in Germany during World War II, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose established the Free India Centre in Germany and formed the Indian Legion. During this period, Bose commissioned German composer Wilhelm Hellberg to arrange the first-ever orchestral and military band version of "Jana Gana Mana", which was composed and recorded in Hamburg. This rendition was adopted as the national song of the Azad Hind movement and was played at official events and military parades of the Indian Legion and later adopted as the Indian National anthem.
Hamburg thus holds the distinction of being the city where the Indian National Anthem was first musically arranged and performed, marking a profound cultural milestone in India’s freedom struggle.