Fidel's 90th Birthday was celebrated in Indore

- Vineet Tiwari

On 13th August, 2016, Comrades from different organizations gathered together in Indore, a town of Madhya Pradesh to pay our respect to Com. Fidel Castro on his 90th birthday. We recalled his gallantry during guerilla warfare with Batista regime. It was a fight for democracy where Com. Fidel fought along with peasants and others from working class in the hills of Sierra Maestra. 

We remembered how Cuba set an example for the entire third world that independence and camaraderie can challenge the mightiest imperialist power of the world. 
We also remembered Com. Che Guevara, his contribution in building a new society in socialist Cuba. Fidel is not just a revolutionary charismatic leader for the Cuban people but he is the leader inspirational light house for the entire third world, from Mozambique and Angola to India and Nepal to Nicaragua to El Salvador to Bolivia to Ecuador and of course to Venezuela.

After the collapse of socialist regimes of Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the breakdown of CMEA,  Cuba went through a very difficult period. Fidel said to his fellow country people, "History has bestowed upon us the responsibility to carry forward the legacy of socialist revolution. We are proud to get this opportunity and we shall not betray the cause for which we and our comrades have fought." And Indeed, Cuba emerged through the Special Period as a very special country. The people of Cuba along with Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and other countries in Latin America have opened up new vistas for setting up democratic, participative, just and equitable society for human civilization. Speakers discussed about the world famous Cuban healthcare system and courageous Cuban doctors. We also saw Nobel Laureate famous writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez's interview in which he fondly described about Fidel's personality.

We salute Fidel Castro and all those comrades who fought and are fighting for the revolutionary cause of Socialism.

On this occasion,  people's economist Dr. Jaya Mehta from Joshi-Adhikari Institute of Social Studies, Delhi, Vineet Tiwari, senior CPI leader Com. Vasant Shintre, Vijay Dalal, Arvind Porwal, Chunnilal Wadhwani and others shared their thoughts. We also listened Pete Seeger's songs and watched videos about life and works of Com. Fidel Castro. Gen. Secretary of Progressive Vineet Tiwari recited his poem on Cuba. Young comrades of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), Pooja, Sakshi and Raaj cut the cake. State Secretary of National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) Com. Sarika Shrivastava, Indore Secretary Com. Neha Dubey, Com. Shaila Shintre, Bank trade unionists Com. Arvind Porwal, Com. Brajesh Kanungo, Com. Toufeeq from Progressive Writers Association (PWA), IPTA comrades Seema Rajoria from Ashoknagar and Anuradha Tiwari, Com. Dashrath from CPI were also among the ones who celebrated 90th Birthday of Com. Fidel Castro at OCC home of Bank Officers Association. This was an initiative of Sandarbh Collective which also observed Com. Fidel Castro's 80th Birthday in Indore in 2006 and was reported in Granma. Amir Khan and Nitin Bedarkar facilitated the show of visuals and songs for this occasion.