The Netaji painting and the short sword that were donated to the Netaji Birthplace Museum on Tuesday. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Jan. 11: Netaji Birthplace Museum today added two more artefacts to its collections associated with the Azad Hind Fauj or Indian National Army (INA).

One of them is a “short sword” used by women soldiers of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment under the command of Lakshmi Sahgal and the other, an old painting of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

“Both were donated by Sk Aminullah of Manglabag to the museum today. Aminullah is the son of the late S. Asadullah, who was a medical officer in the Azad Hind Fauj,” museum curator J.P. Das said.

The sword would be displayed in the INA gallery and the painting in the provisional government of Azad Hind and the National Bank of Azad Hind gallery, Das said. The portrait of Netaji has initials of C. Sengupta of Mechua-bazar, Calcutta.

“It is from the INA period and what makes it important is its resemblance with the portrait on the paper currencies issued by the National Bank of Azad Hind.”

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had formed the provisional government of Azad Hind on October 21, 1943. The provisional government established the National Bank of Azad Hind, which struck its own coins and currency notes.

The curator said: “The sword was given to S. Asadullah (who died in Cuttack in 1972) by a former member of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment, who was undergoing treatment under him, at Ranihat in the city after Indian independence.... The short sword was used by Rani of Jhansi Regiment members in combat situations.”