This episode is about one of the most uncomfortable, complicated, and rarely discussed chapters of India's freedom struggle - the time Subhas Chandra Bose and the Free India Legion briefly aligned with Nazi Germany to fight British colonial rule. It's a story that doesn't fit neatly into hero worship or outright condemnation, which is exactly why we felt the need to talk about it.

We trace how Bose, ousted from the Congress and deeply frustrated with the pace of nonviolent resistance, landed in Berlin and helped form a legion of Indian prisoners of war under the German army. What begins as a strategic gamble slowly reveals its cracks as Nazi racism, propaganda, and indifference to Indian freedom become impossible to ignore. From the legion's strange existence within the Wehrmacht and later the SS, to the deeply uncomfortable reality of Hitler's contempt for Indians, this is offbeat learning at its most morally messy.

Despite the heaviness of the subject, this is still Don't Know, Do Care, which means there's comedy commentary, moments of dark humour, and the occasional reminder that history is often shaped by desperation, ego, and very bad timing. It's lighthearted education only in the sense that we're trying to understand something heavy without pretending it's simple, blending serious history with the kind of random topics that make you pause and rethink what you thought you knew.

Important links:

1. A website dedicated to Netaji - https://www.netajisubhasbose.org/
2. The Indian Legion of the German Armed Forces: Between Political Calculation and Nazi Propaganda - https://thewire.in/history/the-indian-legion-of-the-german-armed-forces-between-political-calculation-and-nazi-propaganda
3. The Last Chapter of the Indian Legion - https://edoc.hu-berlin.de/server/api/core/bitstreams/3a3cc0d3-faf4-46fe-87d0-07e0c56c825a/content
4. A letter to Jewish organisations by Sarmila Bose - https://scroll.in/article/1045098/an-apology-to-the-victims-of-the-holocaust-for-the-silence-of-my-great-uncle-subhas-chandra-bose

5. Subhas Chandra Bose (1897-1945) by Prof. Satadru Sen - https://web.archive.org/web/20050305012751/http://www.andaman.org/book/app-m/textm.htm

6. Our recommendation of the week - https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/your-own-backyard/id1480263708

Don't Know, Do Care is the brainchild of Ashmita, Sandy, and Prakhar, three friends from different backgrounds and interests. Ashmita works in sustainability, Sandy's an entrepreneur (puke) who'd rather not be, and Prakhar works with Sandy and is just trying to make sense of it all.

Three mildly confused friends, one weirdly specific topic each week. We don't know much, but we care just enough to talk about it for up to an hour each week.

Don't Know, Do Care is produced by "Ghar Pe Productions", edited by Prakhar and Sandy, critiqued (thoroughly) by Ashmita, and enjoyed mostly by our friends. Thanks for giving us a listen!