BUT HE SURE SELLS A LOT OF T-SHIRTS

          Out with the flora and fauna, the Indian designers are experimenting with ‘Che Guevara’. Beret cap, high necked jacket, disheveled hair and smoking pipe is Che’s contribution to Indian fashion. Many dudes dawning double breasted pocket on khaki shirts and loose pants are a common sight at any corner tapir of collages. But, when I enquired an up market Mall shop owner, if he knew the person on his merchandise, he said, “don’t know who this guy is, but he sure sells a lot of T-Shirts”. Surly, many of those wearing him will also remark the same.

       A Latin American Revolutionary (1928-1967), Ernesto Che Guevara was born into a wealthy family in Argentina, where he studied medicine. He pushed his hunger to explore the world by undertaking long Motorbike journeys across South America where he adopted left wing Marxism. The first expedition in 1950 was a 4,500 Km solo trip through the rural provinces of Argentina on a bicycle fitted with a small engine. This was followed in 1951 by a nine month, 8,000 Km continental motorcycle trek through most of South America. In 1955 he met Fidel Castro in Mexico, they prepared a revolutionary expedition to Cuba and finally brought an end to dictatorship of Batista. His professional revolutionary concern, however, made him leave Cuba go to the Congo, where he fought in support of the ongoing revolutionary movement, convinced that only armed insurrectionary action was effective against imperialism. Later he fought against the Bolivian regime, but was betrayed, captured and killed. If one had to define him in one line then, Che was a Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat and a military terrorist. All about him cannot be written or understood in a mere blog, as he was infinite. But, there were some things about this man, which are worth introspection.

·     At the moment of our birth we receive a ticket to our Death. No reservations are necessary, and our destination is assured. What remains open to fortune is what we choose to do along the way. He said, “Many will call me an adventurer - and that I am, only one of a different sort: one of those who risks his skin to prove his platitudes”.

·    There is a need to cultivate within ourselves the virtue of tolerance, which “teaches” us to live with that which is different; it is imperative that we learn from and that we teach our “intellectual relative,” so that in the end all can unite in fight against antagonistic forces.

·     It was not necessary to wait until social conditions produce a popular uprising. They could be pre-empted and primed to create the conditions for the outbreak of a revolutionary movement”.  He said, “The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall”.

·    The Anti-Christ Che. He said, “I am not Christ or a philanthropist, old lady, I am all the contrary of a Christ … I fight for the things I believe in, with all the weapons at my disposal and try to leave the other man dead so that I don’t get nailed to a cross or any other place.”

·    And finally, Guevara wrote his own epitaph, "Whenever death may surprise us, let it welocome, provided that this our battle cry may have reached some receptive ears and another hand may be extended to wiel our weapons". 

Think India, THINK !!