Who knows what will chance today? The evening holds the key to what lies ahead, the enveloping dark of the ensuing night or the lustre of the morn to follow? India lies in wait for the unfolding of the destiny of the Netaji files. Now it is up to the Prime Minister to determine the future course of action. Should he exhibit character enough, as his high office warrants him to do, and fulfil his pledge to the nation to declassify all Netaji files, then he will have aligned himself with the great freedom fighters this country has given birth to --- for even today we are fighting a collective battle for freedom, freedom from the seven-decade long injustice meted out to Netaji and his INA associates, freedom from the distortion of history, its suppression and utter concoction to suit nefarious political ends --- and will have been the worthy successor of the martyrs who have bled for the motherland's freedom. Mr. Modi will have secured his place in history and a permanent place in the hearts of his people if, today, he reaches out to the truth that lies hidden under the cover of closed files and unfolds before the nation what it is her legitimate right to know, her true history and the glorious saga of her greatest son. Should he fail to summon such courage, though, on whatsoever ground, be it political expediency or diplomatic necessity, he will have exposed himself as a man of infirm will, inconstancy of purpose, irresolute mind and, worst of all, as one more politician who placed his self-interest above the national cause. In which case, Mr. Modi will have actually slighted the Bose family by inviting them to his parlour and returning them with flimsy presents fraught with empty promises yet again, words as hollow as only politicians are wont to making, and so incurred the wrath of a nation that even today adores the 'forgotten hero' and may yet in his name en masse seek redress in whatever manner history has in store, I know not.
The hour is on, the Boses are on the way to 7, Race Course Road, the leader of the nation is thrilling in his very veins to receive the line of the one that was throughout East Asia hailed as the leader (Netaji) by expatriate Indians. It is the hour of reckoning. Now, Mr. Prime Minister, greet the Boses not merely with smiles and hugs, coffee and cakes, but hand them over their heritage, the history of their family in finality with respect to their beloved Rangakakababu (Netaji) and settle the dust, once and for all, over this murky business begun by the founding fathers of our benighted nation.
What more can I say than to bid good luck to the Bose family, offer my heart's ardour for the cause and strength of distant willing which may as yet reach them in this momentous hour when history, perplexed, stands at the crossroads to muse over her future meandering! Bravo, my friends, bravo! Unto thee was given the right to the restoration of history and the resurrection of her greatest son, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Fare thee well, brave ones, the nation is with you. Jai Netaji! Jai Hind!
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