Shillong, Jan. 21: The Greater Shillong Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Birthday Celebration Committee, which is preparing for his 119th birth anniversary here on Saturday, today announced its plan to host a national talk this year so that approaches and strategies adopted by Bose and other freedom fighters from the state could be drawn up.

"Since 1996, the committee has been holding functions to commemorate Bose's birth anniversary. But from last year, the committee has come up with new ideas. We have organised an exhibition with around 500 photographs of Bose to enlighten people, especially students," committee president Naba Bhattacharjee said.

According to Bhattacharjee, this year the committee will hold a national talk on freedom fighters from Meghalaya - U Tirot Sing Syiem, U Kiang Nangbah and others. "Through this talk, we are trying to find parallel approaches adopted by Bose and other freedom fighters from the state. Bose was very close to the Northeast. This year, we plan to have a discussion on freedom fighters from Meghalaya. Later, we will include freedoms fighters from other states of the region," he added.

The committee is trying get former journalist and author Anuj Dhar, who has published several books on Bose, as well as Netaji's grand-nephew Chandra Kumar Bose for the talk.

"Bose visited Shillong, then capital of composite Assam, in 1937 and 1939. During his visit, he had even made some important remarks and admired the grassroots administration in the Khasi hills," Bhattacharjee said. He hoped that truth would come out once the Centre starts the declassification of files in its archives.

On Saturday, the committee will observe Bose's birth anniversary in front of his life-sized statue on State Central Library premises here at 8.30am.

Several processions would be taken out from different localities that will converge on the library premises where the Tricolour will be unfurled and floral tributes paid to the freedom fighter.

In the evening, a talk on the Relevance of Netaji's Principles and Philosophy in Today's Society will be held at Oakland-Bivar Road community hall.

Opposition MLA Paul Lyngdoh and IGNOU director A.S. Guha will be the keynote speakers at the event.