Why Fidel Castro will never be forgotten
Fidel Castro, revolutionary leader, freedom fighter, upholder of the Non-Aligned Movement, of South solidarity and values of peace, justice and equality is dead.
Fidel's significance and leadership will live on for Cuba where he held off US imperialism with his comrades including Raul Castro and Che Guevara.
He will be remembered in the Third World and in India, who has lost a friend and revered by the people who hold on to the idea of peace, freedom, justice and equality.
In April this year, an ailing Fidel Castro in a rare speech at the Communist Party Congress said that the communist concepts were still valid and that the Cuban people "will be victorious".
His key message was that the Cuban revolution should support the principles of peace, freedom, justice and equality not only in Cuba but everywhere else.
When he first came to power, Fidel and his colleagues concentrated on the security of the Cuban state and the consolidation of the Communist regime. This turned out to be extremely important.
The US saw Cuba as a thorn in their flesh. Their policy was of regime change for Cuba. President John F Kennedy's historian has written that JFK's first preference for Cuba would be for a democratic regime, but if that was not possible, the second preference would be a dictatorial Batista regime and the last choice would be a Castro regime.
In 1961, a CIA-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion by Cuban exiles was fought off by the Cuban government. This sparked the Cuban missile crisis as Castro agreed to placing these missiles and there was the possibility of confrontation between the two super powers.
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| Fidel Castro. (1926-2016) |
After that Cuba was virtually cordoned off and unilateral sanctions were imposed on the country, most of which have been removed relatively recently.
Cuba's territory of Guantanamo Bay continues to be occupied by the US as a prison for dangerous prisoners. But Cuba survived with the assistance of the Soviet Union and its own national policies.
Despite the extreme hardships Fidel, Raul and Che faced in the initial period, Guevera advocated Cuban support to other revolutions and believed that a small group of committed revolutionaries could light the flame of revolution, but most Cuban revolutionary leaders did not agree. They wanted to consolidate gains of Cuba.
When Che was captured by US backed military troops in Bolivia and executed on the spot, it was a great loss to Fidel as it was for others committed to a life of dignity for all people.
Cuban troops supported freedom struggles in countries as diverse as Angola and Eritrea. Cuban diplomats were active in the United Nations on the issue of anti-racism, de-colonisation and freedom.
For a small country under the shadow and threat of the US, the support that the Cuban government led for long by Fidel and more recently by Raul has given to many Third World countries, is simply amazing.
Fidel recognised the need of transiting from the old policies of revolutions to change with the times. This has been debated in Cuba and all over the world. This led to a series of economic, political and social reforms in the latter period of Fidel's life, taken further by Raul.
The international Left learnt a lot from the Cubans and has been strongly influenced by the Cuban revolution. But the admirers of the Cuban revolution included radicals, left liberals and liberals throughout the world.
In India, those committed to the idea of an independent foreign policy and internal democracy and freedom will always cherish the memories of Castro.
The Cuban people will always remember Fidel as will other people world over, for leading and sustaining the Cuban revolution.
The flame that Fidel, Che and Raul lit will never burn out as long as the human thirst for freedom, justice and peace lives.
It is said that old soldiers never die, they just fade away. Not Fidel, he will live in the minds of all yearning for the good life, a green earth and the cause of revolutionary change.