The Vanguards of Azad Hind - Gayathri Ponvannan - Bog

Kayal is sixteen years old, and a freedom fighter. She takes part in marches, burns British goods and sabotages trains. All without the knowledge of her law-abiding family, of course. So, it comes as quite a surprise when Kayal discovers her Aunt Uma, a refugee from Burma, is a part of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's Azad Hind Fauj-the all-volunteer Indian National Army from South East Asia aiming to take on the might of the British Empire and free India! By what Kayal considers a huge stroke of luck, Aunt Uma agrees to take her along on a recruitment trip to Calcutta which would then change Kayal's life forever. All of a sudden, the war, which had seemed a distant thrill, now becomes a horrific reality. There are heart-breaking decisions to be made. Will the beleaguered INA still press forward into British India? And will the Rani of Jhansi regiment, armed with just fierce optimism, defy Netaji and realize their dream of marching on as the Vanguards of Azad Hind?