Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro refers to Ramayana, Bible to cajole India to export Hydroxychloroquine

Unlike the United States, Brazil chose to invoke Hanuman of Ramayana to cajole Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in New Delhi into allowing it to import Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) from India.

PM Narendra Modi received a letter from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who referred to Ramayana, particularly the tale of Hanuman’s epic act of carrying the Mount Gandhamadana so that Rama’s injured brother Laksmana could be cured by the magical herb Sanjeevani. He also referred to the Biblical tale of Jesus restoring the sight of a blind man called Bartimaeus.

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“Just as Lord Hanuman brought the holy medicine from the Himalayas to save the life of Lord Rama’s brother Laksmana, and Jesus healed those who were sick and restored sight to Bartomeu, India and Brazil will overcome this global crisis by joining forces and sharing blessings for the sake of all people,” Bolsanaro wrote to Modi.

Brazil is among the countries which are keen to import the HCQ from India.

The HCQ, an anti-malaria drug, has been recommended for treatment of Covid-19 patients.

Also Read: Coronavirus India update: State-wise total number of confirmed cases, deaths

Bolsonaro’s way of nudging Modi to relax the ban on the export of the HCQ was in stark contrast to the one chosen by American President Donald Trump, who had warned New Delhi of “retaliation” if it did not allow the US to procure the drug from India.

The Prime Minister and the Brazilian President on Sunday discussed the Covid-19 pandemic over the phone. It was during the phone-call when Bolsonaro requested Modi to relax the ban allowing the export of the HCQ from India to Brazil.

He followed it up with the letter, referring to the tales in Ramayana and Bible.

Brazil has so far recorded 12056 Covid-19 positive cases and 553 deaths. In India, so far 5149 people have fallen sick after being infected by the virus and 149 of them died.