The honorific title 'Netaji' (respected leader) came to be applied to Subhas Chandra Bose first in:

The honorific title "Netaji" ("respected leader") was first applied to Subhas Chandra Bose in Germany, in early 1942, by the Indian soldiers of the Indian Legion and the members of the Free India Centre in Berlin.

How the title began:

• After Bose reached Germany in 1941, he organised the Free India Centre in Berlin and recruited Indian prisoners of war into a military unit.
• The Indian soldiers and officials who worked with him began to address him as "Netaji", meaning "respected leader" (from "neta", leader, and "ji", a mark of respect).
• The title was also used in the broadcasts of the Azad Hind Radio.
• Later, it was used by the Indian National Army and the Indian community in South-East Asia, and spread to India.

Bose in Germany (1941-1943):

• He met German leaders, including Adolf Hitler, but did not get firm support for Indian independence.
• He used the radio to send messages to India.
• He introduced "Jai Hind" as a greeting and "Jana Gana Mana" as the national anthem in the Legion.
• He left Germany by submarine in February 1943 and reached South-East Asia.

Netaji's legacy:

• He is remembered as "Netaji" all over India.
• The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, the Netaji Subhas University of Technology in Delhi, and many other institutions are named after him.
• His birthday, 23 January, is celebrated as "Parakram Diwas".
• A statue of Netaji was installed under the canopy near India Gate in New Delhi in 2022.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Japan, Singapore and Burma were places where Bose was active later.