Dilli chalo!”was the war cry of hardened soldiers in the Indian National Army camps in Burma in 1944. The youngest of these soldiers was Laxmi Panda, whose extraordinary tale you discover as you read Savie Karnel’s Laxmi Panda: The Story of Netaji’s Youngest Spy.
Her story shows the struggles of those caught in the crossfire of World War II―stuck between the British, who were ruling India, and the Japanese, who wanted to drive away the Allied powers. The book opens with Laxmi’s family, Indian migrants in Burma, who die in a bomb blast there. Orphaned, hungry and lost, Laxmi and her brother Nakul struggle to survive. They befriend a strange woman who teaches them to catch frogs and steal rice from shops. With freedom fighters, they eventually find a home as well as a purpose.
At 14, Laxmi was the youngest to join the INA’s Rani of Jhansi regiment, but that did not stop her from quickly rising through the ranks. Subhas Chandra Bose even renamed her Indira, apparently to avoid people confusing her with the more famous Lakshmi of the time, captain Lakshmi Sahgal.
Laxmi’s days were filled with rigorous training―running, marksmanship, sword fighting, horsemanship, map reading and even learning Hindustani. As hers was a women-only regiment, Sundays were spent in visiting Nakul in his camp. But this closeness was brief. She quickly developed as a spy and was soon moved to a special services group in Bose’s army. This meant keeping all missions secret, even from Nakul.The book details her first official mission to India, the homeland she never saw but was willing to die for. Karnel digs below the surface to explore the hard realities―like trekking through forests for days―and also writes about episodes where Laxmi showed presence of mind in crucial moments. Her grasp of Nepali helped her forge friendships with soldiers guarding the British garrison in Manipur. Also, her experience in catching frogs earned her the trust of the villagers. She skilfully extracted crucial intelligence about weaponry and enemy plans through casual conversations. With her partner Emily, she copied vital war documents, which gave the INA a chance to launch a surprise attack to capture the garrison. Remarkably, Laxmi evaded capture a number of times, be it through her cunning, luck, or a combination of both.
Laxmi Panda’s story is one to be remembered and revered. Thankfully, authors like Karnel are preserving this vital chapter in India’s history.
LAXMI PANDA: THE STORY OF NETAJI’S YOUNGEST SPY
By Savie Karnel
Published by Red Panda
Price Rs298; pages 224