The latest edition of CPM mouthpiece People’s Democracy is devoted to the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. The lead editorial by Sitaram Yechury says the fact that the Cuban Socialist Revolution has not merely survived, despite the undeclared war by the US to overthrow Fidel Castro, but consolidated for half a century must be recorded in the history of human civilisation as an epic saga of human labour and endeavour. “As a true communist he has not allowed any personal glorification, something that lesser human beings amongst communists need to follow, if not emulate. There is no statue, no portrait, no stamp, no coin or currency note with his image. Yet his life breathes the Cuban revolution and throbs with its dynamism,” he says. The article refers to a book titled My Life - Fidel Castro, in which the normally reticent Fidel discusses almost everything: his parents, early influences, the failed revolution of 1953, his exile to Mexico, the Guerrilla war and the triumph of the revolution on January 1, 1959.

Talking about Castro’s meticulous attention to the detail, Yechury says he experienced it personally in 1993 when he accompanied Jyoti Basu to Cuba. “One evening, after both Jyoti Basu and I retired, we were informed around 11 pm that the Commandante was waiting to receive us. In a discussion that lasted well over two hours and covered many issues, including the impact of the collapse of the Soviet Union on Cuba, Fidel suddenly started asking detailed information regarding India on issues like the quantity of steel produced, the amount of arable and irrigated agricultural land etc etc. Jyoti Basu least expected such questions and that too in the early hours of the morning. Fidel, then, turned to me and said, given Jyoti’s age, one can pardon him but I had no business not to have this information ready. Since then, I met Fidel twice on different occasions, always with the latest handbook of statistics in my pocket!,” he says.

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