India was among the first nations to recognize Cuba following the 1959 Cuban revolution. Following the revolution, Fidel Castro sent Ernesto "Che" Guevara to India on a two-week visit. Guevara arrived in New Delhi on 30 June 1959. He met with Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru the next day. Nehru presented Guevara with an ivory handled "khukri" in a walnut scabbard. Today, the "khukri" is preserved at the Centro de Estudios Che Guevara in Havana. In his report on the meeting, Guevara noted, "Nehru received us with an amiable familiarity of a patriarchal grandfather but with noble interest in the dedication and struggles of the Cuban people." The two delegations agreed to establish diplomatic missions and increase trade as soon as possible. Guevara and the Cuban delegation also met with Indian Defence Minister V. K. Krishna Menon, senior defence officers, members of the Planning Commission. He also visited the Cottage Industries Emporium, the Okhla Industrial Area, the Agricultural Research Institute and the National Physical Laboratory. Guevara also met with the Chilean ambassador in New Delhi and was interviewed by journalist K.P. Bhanumathy for All India Radio. Guevara also visited Kolkata before departing India. Despite his preference for violent struggle, Guevara expressed appreciation for Mahatma Gandhi. Upon his return to Cuba, Guevara wrote, "In India, the word war is so distant from the spirit of the people that they did not use it even in the tensest moments of their struggle for independence. The great demonstrations of collective peaceful discontent forced the English colonialism to leave forever the land that they devastated during one hundred and fifty years."