India and Cuba Doing Well @NAM
“I felt I was in the presence of one of the greatest men of our times,” Manmohan Singh said of the meeting. “I had gone there to greet him but he engaged me in intense discussions, asking searching questions..“, he said.
Castro surprised Dr Singh by requesting a photograph. The old revolutionary got up from his wheelchair for the photograph. “I want this picture to be seen by all of India,” Castro told the prime minister, that is in a nation with 1 billion plus population.
He said Castro - who had to undergo emergency surgery following intestinal bleeding, leading to intense speculation in the Western media about his and his country’s future - was weak but remained sitting throughout the 40 minutes of their meeting and he fondly recalled his ties with former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
The Cuban leader recalled his affection for late Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. “On the whole, it was a most satisfying meeting,” the Prime Minister said.
Castro has always shared a special relationship with India, be it with Indira Gandhi — who he famously enveloped in a bear hug at the 1983 NAM summit in New Delhi — or with her father Jawharlal Nehru.
Some facts:
The NAM was set up in 1961 in Belgrade by Third World nations that wanted to avoid being pawns in Cold War power games. The emergence of the Cold War between Western democracies and East European countries, led by the Soviet Union, was a disappointment to India. The recent inclusion of Dominica and Antigua has taken the member strength of NAM to 116.