New Delhi, January 23: On the occasion of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's 128th birth anniversary, his grandnephew Chittapriyo Bose recalled when he and his family had approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, seeking an inquiry into Netaji's mysterious disappearance, which eventually led to PM's announcement to start the declassification process of Netaji's files.
Chittapriyo said,"...My elder brother along with two cousins and an aunt, met PM Modi at Kolkata Raj Bhavan in 2014, after he was appointed PM. The purpose of our visit was to request him to start an inquiry about his disappearance, especially after 18th August 1945.
"After hearing us, PM Modi said that he wanted to meet more members of my family, and he would invite us to Delhi... a few months later, we did not get an invitation from PMO so we formed a 50-member delegation and went to 7, Race Course Road...finally we said that we would like the PM to start the declassification process and he made an official announcement that declassification process will start...Later PM Modi decided to name his birth anniversary because of his valour, sacrifice and dedication to the nation...," Netaji's grandnephew added.
Earlier today, PM Modi delivered his address on the occasion of Jayanti of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, commemorated as Parakram Diwas via video message.
Greeting the people on the occasion, he said that the entire nation is remembering Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, respectfully, on his birth anniversary today. Paying his respects to Netaji Subhas Bose, PM Modi said that this year's grand celebrations of Parakram Diwas were being held in his birthplace in Odisha.
President Droupadi Murmu also marked the occasion by paying floral tributes to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at Rashtrapati Bhavan on his 128th birth anniversary.
In 2021, the Central government officially designated January 23 as Parakram Diwas to mark the birth anniversary of Subhas Chandra Bose.
On the occasion of Parakram Diwas 2025, a grand celebration is scheduled to unfold from 23rd January to 25th January 2025 at Barabati Fort in the historic city of Cuttack, the birthplace of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
The multifaceted celebration will honour the legacy of Netaji on his 128th birth anniversary. The three-day event, scheduled for 23rd-25th January 2025, will be inaugurated by Mohan Charan Majhi, the Chief Minister of Odisha, on January 23.
Following the government's decision to commemorate Netaji's birth anniversary as 'Parakram Diwas' in 2021, the first Parakram Diwas was held that year at Victoria Memorial in Kolkata.
The year 2022 saw the unveiling of a hologram statue of Netaji at India Gate, New Delhi; and in 2023, 21 unnamed islands in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago were named after the 21 Param Vir Chakra Awardees. In 2024, the Prime Minister inaugurated the event at the historic Red Fort in Delhi, the site of the INA trials.
