Castro, Indira's meet was of a bear hug and strong message

CHENNAI: A picture is worth a thousand words – thus goes the adage and the Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro demonstrated it to the world from New Delhi.

His giant bear hug to the then Indian Prime Minister and his “sister” Indira Gandhi while handing over the gavel of the NAM chairmanship from Cuba to India in March, 1983 was an enduring symbol of the Non-Aligned Movement for decades.
It delivered one of the strongest message to the world’s super powers – US and the then USSR – at the height of the Cold War.

The Cuban President’s giant bear hug to Ms Gandhi consternated heads and representatives of 140 nations. The Communist veteran, who passed away on Saturday, was a “good friend” of India and has always held the world’s largest democracy in high esteem.

He not only shared excellent rapport with the Gandhi-Nehru family, who ruled the country for close to three decades, but also saved the country’s face at the international fora when the Non-Aligned Summit of the 1983 headed for a collapse. He had advised Rajiv Gandhi, through an emissary, to “follow in the footsteps” of his mother in administering the country.

Mr Castro single-handedly prevented the Summit from collapsing as the then Palestinian Liberation Authority chief Yasar Arafat threatened to leave the conference and pack his bags back home as he felt “insulted” since he was asked to speak after the leader of the delegation led by neighbouring Jordan.

As the news of Mr Arafat threatening to boycott the Summit reached Mr Castro’s ears, he immediately asked the Palestinian leader to come to Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi where the conference was being held. By the time Mr Arafat could arrive, Ms Gandhi reached at the venue and asked Mr Castro to ensure that the Summit sails smoothly.

“As Yasar Arafat arrived at the venue, Fidel Castro asked him are you a friend of Indira to which the Palestinian leader said she is my elder sister and I will do anything for her,” Natwar Singh, former External Affairs Minister and a close aide of Ms Gandhi, says in his autobiography “One Life is Not Enough.”

“Then behave like a younger brother and attend the afternoon session,” is all Mr Castro told Mr Arafat, who dutifully attended the rest of the sessions of the conference, the veteran career diplomat says in his book.