Remembering Che

Politics, for Hyderabadi youth, is something that gives an opportunity to vote. It is a lousy topic for them to discuss during lunch hour or at the time of evening snacks. Perhaps they know some state leaders of various political parties and how corrupt they are. Sometimes, some of them speak about one Rahul Gandhi. Once I overheard a conversation where a young man was telling that Indian politics was doomed with the entry of some ‘hitherto unheard’ names like Shasi Tharoor, much to my chagrin.   

Yet, I am taken aback to see many youngsters, with funky hairstyles and freaky mannerisms, sporting a tee-shirt of a peculiar sort. Yes, I wasn’t mistaken when I first saw it in Hyderabad some months ago. The tee-shirt had the imprint of a Che portrait. Believe me, the very same Ernesto Che Guevara! Thinking nostalgically of the days when I grew up as a willful adolescent, reading Bolivian Diary and the Biography of Che, I was so happy to note that the young generation of my city is, at last, politically enlightened.

I recalled a close friend of mine, Daniela, of Argentine origin, once writing to me:

“I've never been, unfortunately, to your country. But my father had, and so did my mother's uncles. My father resented a lot what the English did, he admired Gandhi so much that we had his picture everywhere at home and at his bureau. But first of all, he had some kind of relationship with Sri Yukteswar, Paramhansa Yogananda's Teacher. I'll tell you about it later...

I thought finally the Indian youth had learnt to respect great leaders of other countries just like they do to the Father of Our Nation. I felt happy. But, my happiness did not last long. I asked a young gentleman who was wearing a Che tee-shirt why he was sporting it. He cast an embarrassed glance. “Why? He looks funky, and is very masculine, isn’t he?” My Goodness! So, that’s the secret behind this newfound love for Che! I couldn’t help asking. “But who is he?” Pat came the reply, “Dunno, may be an American rock star…”

  

That is it! In one of her letters, Daniela again wrote to me:  I met Che Guevara's family because my school used one of their houses, they rented it to the owner of our school. Guevara was a bad word in Argentina in my parent's time, not to speak of mine during the military dictatorship. We were not allowed to pronounce his name. But after the military government was brought down, we started reading about him. Do you know what Che stands for? It means “hey” in Argentine Spanish. We're the only country in Latin America who uses the “hey”, and they all call us “heys”……. people like Che Guevara are one in a million generations…