Che Guevara - A 17 Year Old's Perception.

The first encounter i had with Che was when i was 11. There was this big bully in our building who more often than not , wore a Red T-Shirt of a long hair, unshaven man staring out at eternity. Just like the bully i percieved Guevara to be evil who beat up innocent kids when he was bored.However, for some or the other reason he stopped wearing that T-shirt and Che was gradually rubbed off my mind.

Three years later, i met this girl in a party. She was fairly attractive and wore a White "Che" T-shirt. Old memories came flooding back and i asked the girl who this particular man was . "Dunno,dude. Some Rockstar,maybe. He looks kool, doesnt he ?" Was the reply that i got and i thought the girl was trying to act funny. I didnt pursue the topic.Two years later when i became active on orkut, the famous pictures of Guevara showed up again in many display pictures all over the website. Thats when i thought that i have had enough and that i had to know about this man.

The initial research confirmed my belief that this man was indeed remarkable.The more and more i read about him, the deeper my admiration grew. Riding around the whole of Latin America on a bike, his involvment in the Social Revolution in Guetamala under Guzman,the stupendous overthrowing of Batista in Cuba, his brilliant military tactics, his fearless attitude towards death and his tireless efforts in Congo. Remarkable is an understatement for this man.

He was never blessed with a strong army boasting huge numbers and relied mainly on terrain, intelligence and guerilla warfare. Another very important facet of his personality is that he never gave up. In Congo, Guevara was sorrounded by all sides and his army consisted of a paltry sum of 100 soldiers. He very well knew that it was a matter of time that we would be defeated and probably killed, but he did not desert the principles in which he had believed all his life. Yankees and their pals can call him a "Mindless Commie" and "Murderer" and this is as ironic as it gets. You dont have a revolution with handshakes, hugs and kisses least of all when you have America on the other side of the table.

He is an icon, loved and remembered my millions of people across the globe and deserves to go down in history as an extraordinary visionary, a fearless warrior, an astute tactician and a constant pain up the backside for the strongest country in the world.

"The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall." - Che Ernesto Guevara.