There is a case for Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose that no Indian can ignore. Fifty-six years and many inquiries later, India still has no epitaph for the man who almost brought freedom to its doorstep in 1945. All because one question remains unanswered: Did Netaji die in an air crash on August 18, 1945?

In the campaign beginning today, Hindustan Times opens a public probe into one of the most enduring mysteries of free India. With the help of the latest technology and the backing of the media, the public will reach out to officials in various countries, dig into secret archives, trace private letters and cross-examine witnesses to throw fiercer light on Netaji's disappearance.

On August 18, the public will rendezvous online to try and end this mystery, and to thereby, free India from its curse of 56 years - the curse of ingratitude. The work is elaborate and the mission is important. Hindustan Times urges all Indians to come forward and help organise the task at hand, and to also volunteer any information that their old files may yield on Netaji.

Needless to say, dark secrets may spill during the campaign. It is history's mandate and history will call to account even those leaders it had declared as men of character... If in so doing, the man on the pedestal falls or an icon breaks, God help us Indians!