Jai Hind

Goddess Kali emerged as an important symbol of the nationalist movement in India and became widely prevalent in popular culture. Posters became the prime carrier of such imagery, urging people to participate in the fight for independence. In this particular print, against the Indian tricolour with a charkha (spinning wheel) at its centre (symbolising the Swadeshi movement), is Subhash Chandra Bose, rendered in Chhinnamasta’s iconography— presenting his own head in one hand while wielding a sword in the other. Blood oozes out of the decapitated head forming a pool shaped like the map of India below. The severed heads of martyrs are scattered near his feet to signify those who have sacrificed their lives for the nation. Carrying the inscription ‘Jai Hind’ that was popularised by him, the print visually encapsulates his famous words, ‘Give me your blood, and I’ll give you freedom.’