BY A STAFF REPORTER: Just a few days after his arrival in Singapore, Bose addressed another large audience of about 60,000 Indians in Singapore on 9 July 1943. In his "Why I left home and motherland" speech, Bose called for every able-bodied Indian to be enlisted in the INA and concluded with a stunning claim.
Netaji says, "I also want to form a 'death-defying regiment' of a unit of brave Indian women, who will wield swords." With some difficulty, 20 women were persuaded to train in presenting weapons using a Lee-Enfield 303 rifle borrowed from the INA. As there was no time to make uniforms, the women trained in white sarees, even fought.