1926: Rabindranath Tagore meets Benito Mussolini
and was so captivated by Mussolini’s colourful personality and vigour that he
said, ‘His Excellence Mussolini seems modeled body and soul by the Chisel of
Michelangelo…’ He also praised Mussolini as ‘the most slandered man in the
world’.
1931:
Mahatma Gandhi meets Mussolini. According to Gandhi, ‘Mussolini is an enigma to
me. Many of his reforms he has made attract me. He seems to have done a great
deal for the peasantry… what strikes me is that behind Mussolini’s ruthlessness
is the motive of serving people. Even behind his bombastic speeches there is a
ring of sincerity and love of his people. It seems to me that the bulk of the
Italians like Mussolini’s iron rule…”
1936:
Pandit Nehru was in Rome and Mussolini sent his chief of protocol to the
airport, inviting Nehru to meet him. Jawaharlal Nehru and the chief of protocol
argued for an hour. A telephone message was sent to the Duce’s palace that
Nehru could not come.
