Modi has kept his word. Declassifying Bose files heralds a new India

On the much awaited date - October 14, 2015, 5pm - a 50-member delegation comprising 35 members of the Bose family and 15 associates streamed into Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official residence at 7 Race Course Road.

The national issue of declassification of all files relating to the Bose Brothers - Sarat Chandra Bose and Subhas Chandra Bose - was on their mind! It was a hot and sultry day, but the evening turned out to be rather pleasant. Officials at the prime minister's residence were geared to receive the honoured guests - a privilege given to them for the first time in independent India by any prime minister.

The family members and associates waited patiently for the prime minister's arrival. We could hear the exchange of pleasantries between home minister Rajnath Singh, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, urban development minister Babul Supriyo, national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Sidharth Nath Singh and the family members.

Suddenly, from the left side of the lawn, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi walked in casually, which took everybody by surprise! At first, there was a photo session with the family members followed by a group photo with the associates. Thereafter, a short speech was given by the core members of the family.

The welcome address was given by Rajnath Singh after which members of the Bose family, representing each branch of Janaki Nath Bose's family, also spoke, addressing the PM. A memorandum was handed over to the prime minister on behalf of the delegates. The central issue, which each of the members emphasised, was to know the truth about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. We noticed that the prime minister was listening attentively to each of the family members.

We could feel tension building up among the family members, as well as the entire nation's expectation to get a positive signal from the prime minister to start the process of knowing the truth about the liberator of India. A sense of duty and responsibility toward the nation took over, and the expression on everyone's face made the stress the Bose kin had to go through quite clear. Then came the final moment - when Narendra Modi stood up to address the gathering.

It was a historic moment, and even the weather changed, with the raindrops it seemed as if the Almighty was inspiring the prime minister to make an announcement that would change the history of our freedom movement and alter the course for future generations. Our prime minister did not disappoint the Bose family and the nation. He stated, "His government does not believe in strangling history and it does not affect him to release the Bose files".

The announcement was followed by pin drop silence, as if everyone had missed a heartbeat. Narendra Modi created history by deciding to unravel the mystery of independent India's biggest cover up! All previous governments have been successful in keeping the records on Bose Brothers locked in secret vaults.

The prime minister has assured us that he will take up the matter with the foreign nations - starting with Russia and the United Kingdom - by gaining access to the classified documents from their archives. Narendra Modi heralded a new era in the history of transparency by making this announcement.

The timeframe given is 100 days, that is, January 23, 2016, on the auspicious day of Netaji's 119th birth anniversary. A new dawn will light the horizon when the classified files are released. The nation has been eagerly waiting for this moment for the last 68 years and the people of India and the world who believe in transparency have reasons to celebrate.

A nation cannot prosper if it loses a thread of its history, heritage and culture, and it seems the prime minister is committed to give it back to the citizens of India.