For Mr Peter Arun Pfaff – a Munich based choreographer, documentary film maker and theatre artist – January 23, 2012 was a special day. For the first time, he was attending the birthday celebration of his grandfather, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, in India.
The apparently routine speeches by political personalities, songs or plaudits – he was watching the proceedings with rapt attention. “It's the first birthday celebration of my grandfather that I am attending and, I am very happy to see how much the people of Bengal and India love him,” he said.
The son of Anita Bose Pfaff, the only daughter of Emilie and Subhas Chandra Bose, Peter Arun was going around the ancestral house (Netaji Bhavan) with the family members, busy freezing moments in his camera.
“For me, this celebration is a big family gathering,” he said with his friend Sandra Chatterjee alongside.
“Relation with Netaji evokes a sense of duty, not a privilege in our family. My mother learnt from her mother (Late Emilie Schenkl) that we have to follow his (Netaji's) principles to serve mankind. He is an example for me as how to dedicate one's life for the people,” he said.