Fidel Castro’s Death Brings Back Indo-Cuba ‘Bhai-Bhai’ Memories

As the world says goodbye to Fidel Castro, time to remember how India stood by Cuba through thick and thin.

The leader of Cuban revolution and former president of Cuba, Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90 years. Castro ruled Cuba for almost half a century. As the world bids goodbye to the revolutionary leader, it’s time to reflect upon how India stood by Cuba through thick and thin.

India was amongst the first countries to extend recognition to Cuba after the 1959 Revolution. The Quint brings you a timeline of India-Cuba connections through history.

Che Guevara’s Lesser Known Visit to India

Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s historic visit to India in 1959 came into the limelight when Om Thanvi, the editor of Hindi daily Jansatta, published a series of articles and rare photographs of the visit in 2007. What was revealed in his research is now an important document on India-Cuba relations.

• Che Guevara was sent on a mission to explore like-minded nations that followed an independent foreign policy.
• The visit was aimed at building confidence and goodwill for the new government in Cuba.
• Che met farmers, factory workers and visited offices. He later wrote, “A few in India have much and many do not have anything.”
• Che admired Nehru and his socialist vision. On his return he wrote, “Nehru received us with an amiable familiarity of a patriarchal grandfather.”
• In January 1960, soon after Che’s visit, India opened its mission in Cuba.

Che went back with a lot more than he ever expressed in his writings about India.

Undoubtedly, Cuba and India are brothers, as all the people of the world should be in these times of nuclear disintegration and interplanetary missiles. 

Che Guevara, writing upon his return to Cuba.

The ‘Bread Of India’

The two nations, India and Cuba, expressed solidarity for each other on not one, but many occasions.

• Cuba witnessed enormous economic difficulties in the year 1992.
• During this time, CPI (M), CPI and the ruling party Congress, mobilised Indians to donate 10,000 tonnes of wheat & 10,000 tonnes of rice to Cuba.
• Fidel Castro personally welcomed the vessel that brought grains to Cuba.
• He labelled it the “Bread of India” because it was sufficient for one loaf of bread for each one of Cuba’s 11 million people.
• In 2008, India granted $2 million in cash as disaster relief to Cuba after massive devastation from Hurricanes.

When Castro Hugged Indira Gandhi

The famous Fidel Castro hug for Indira Gandhi is one of the most memorable and well-publicised photographs in India-Cuba relations.

• Castro visited India in 1983 for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit.
• He is still remembered as “the star at the NAM summit.”
• As Castro proceeded to give chairman’s gavel to Indira Gandhi he embraced her with a bear hug and she quickly slithered away. He seemed surprised for a moment, but quickly joined the loud applause.
• In 1973, when Fidel Castro was on his way to Vietnam, Indira Gandhi had hosted a dinner for him remembering his heroic leadership.

Never Say No to India

Castro was rarely seen in public in the last few years and hardly met visiting leaders, but he did find the time and strength to meet Vice-President Hamid Ansari during his visit to Cuba in 2013.

• Hamid Ansari’s visit was a rare bilateral visit to Havana by any Indian VVIP.
• Competing with China, India remains a key investor, donor and trade partner to Cuba.
• Based on the idea that prevention is better than cure, the Cuban healthcare system is considered a model for the world. India and Cuba seek to engage actively in the pharma sector.
• Government of India recently resurrected a proposal of gifting 25 buses to Cuba for public transport in Havana.