Home / War and Conflict / Rare Azad Hind Fauj badge finds new home in Kolkata
Rare Azad Hind Fauj badge finds new home in Kolkata
23 Jan
Summary
- A rare INA cap badge, 80 years old, was brought from Australia.
- The badge symbolizes unity, faith, and sacrifice of the Azad Hind Fauj.
- Only a few INA badges exist globally, with few in Indian museums.
Eight decades after its original commissioning for Indian National Army officers, a rare Azad Hind Fauj cap badge has journeyed from Australia to a Kolkata-based collector. This metal badge, featuring an engraved map of undivided India and the INA motto "Ittefaq, Etemad, Kurbani" (unity, faith, sacrifice), is a significant historical artifact. Its production was limited by wartime conditions, making its acquisition a rare event.
Currently, only three museums in India – the Red Fort Museum, INA Memorial Complex in Manipur, and Netaji Bhavan Museum in Kolkata – possess such badges. International locations include the Imperial War Museum and National War Museum in the UK, and the National Museum in Singapore. This specific badge's acquisition from an Australian collector is notable, as no individual collector in India is known to own one.
Acquired by collector Prithwish Dasgupta, the badge symbolizes India's involvement with Axis powers during World War II. The INA's operational scope was primarily in Southeast Asia. The badge's presence with an Australian collector, whose grandfather served with Axis forces, remains an intriguing historical footnote, given the lack of records of INA operations involving Australians.
