The imposing mansions of Vedado, a posh area of La Habana, tower over a small house that contains a quaint blue room. It is hard to believe such a modest edifice was once the home of Commander Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, the most powerful leader of Cuba after Fidel Castro. But in fact, this famous revolutionary was well known for his self-effacement. The house is now home to the Centro de Estudios Che Guevara, the Centre of Che Guevara Studies, an institution run by Che's son, Camilo Guevara March.
A few weeks ago, I visited the Centro to gather information about Che's little-known 1959 visit to India. Since Camilo was just about to leave for Argentina, Che's motherland, to attend a function on the occasion of his father's birthday, he instructed Research Officer Lazaro Baccalao to assist me. Baccalao shared a variety of relevant information, such as the names of the delegation members and the follow-up actions taken. He also dug out the report that Che submitted to Cuban authorities upon his return from India and other countries, and showed me a calendar decorated with photographs of Che's meetings with several major Third World leaders.
One photo showed Jawaharlal Nehru with Che. The warmth of their relationship is documented in Che's report, and is reflected in Nehru's gift to Che – a khukuri that Baccalao reverently showed to me. The ivory-handled weapon was sheathed in a walnut scabbard engraved with a depiction of a woman whose identity Camilo, Baccalao informed me, was eager to learn. I told him that it was not a woman but a goddess, probably Durga, the symbol of shakti. When I noted that there was no better gift for a leader as powerful as Che, Baccalao smiled with pleasure.
Che earned Fidel Castro's resolute admiration when the two fought together against the Cuban military dictator Fulgencio Batista. In February 1959, when Castro's revolutionary government was established after two years of guerrilla warfare, he declared Che a "natural-born citizen of Cuba". Six months later, Castro sent Che on an official tour of Asia, Africa and Europe. As an informal sort of foreign-cum-commerce minister, Che's goal was to build confidence in and goodwill toward the new government, and to explore markets for Cuba's main commodities, particularly sugar.