Castro and India

News of Castro’s death late last month—the revolutionary who had been the face of Cuba for a long time now—brought mixed feelings of grief and joy. Most Indian politicians mourned the loss of the Cuban icon.

INDIA AND CUBA

India was one of the first countries to recognise Fidel Castro's socialist government. That was just after the Cuban revolution in which, Castro and Che Guevara overthrew the government of then President Fulgencio Batista. 

                There have been many important bilateral visits since the establishment of Cuban socialist government. The first visit was immediately after the Cuban Revolution. The then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru received Che Guevara in New Delhi. Nehru also met President Fidel Castro in New York at the NAM summit in 1960. Narrating his experience, he said: “The first person who came to see me was Prime Minister Nehru. I can never forget his magnificent gesture. I was 34 years of age, not widely known. I was tense. Nehru boosted my morale. My tension disappeared.”

India’s friendship with Castro’s Cuba has stayed firm throughout the decades; in 1985, the PM Rajiv Gandhi and in 2006, former PM Manmohan Singh have visited Cuba. Castro himself visited India in 1973 and 1983, while Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. 

ADMIRATION FOR THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT

Castro was quoted saying, “The maturity of India, its unconditional adherence to the principles which lay at  the foundation of the Non-Aligned Movement give us the assurances that under the wise leadership of Indira Gandhi, the non-aligned countries will continue advancing in their inalienable role as a bastion for peace, national independence and development…"
               
                The famous Castro  bear hug for Indira Gandhi has now become one of the most memorable and well-publicised photographs in India-Cuba relations.

Both India and Cuba are a part of the Non-Aligned Movement. Cuba supports India's candidature as a permanent member on a reformed Security Council. India Cuba relations have traditionally always been warm and friendly.

“BREAD OF INDIA”

The "bread of India" phrase is quite famous in Cuba. Back in 1992, India had provided Cuba with 10,000 tonnes of wheat and 10,000 tonnes of rice while Cuba was undergoing hardship due to an economic crisis brought about by US sanctions in that era. The bestowal was enough for one loaf of bread for each one of the then Cuban population of eleven million people. Castro termed this donation as the “Bread of India”. India had also provided donations worth two million US dollars during the Cuban earthquake.

Castro did not speak English. In spite of that, Castro's communication with Indian leaders was smooth due to their common views. Fidel Castro was a charismatic leader who was not just a revolutionary but also a pragmatist and realist.

Remembering Fidel Castro, Mr. Manmohan Singh said that he was a "great friend of India" who connected well with Indian leaders. Prime Minister Modi also expressed his condolences on Castro's death. He tweeted that Castro was one of the most iconic personalities of the 20th century. India mourns the loss of a great friend.

The death of Fidel Castro marks the end of an impeccably strong era in India-Cuba relations. 

-Anushka Prabhu