New Delhi: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, talked about the Hindu epic – the Ramayana, besides Christianity’s central figure Jesus Christ, requesting Modi to export antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, which can be used to treat coronavirus (covid-19), patients.
President Bolsonaro on Saturday has asked supply of the drug, that is being touted as a cure for the deadly virus, over a phone call with the Indian minister.
The letter after being written to Modi was followed by a phone call.
Brazil has over 14,000 cases and has so far recorded 688 deaths – the highest in South America.
References of Ramayana and Christ were made against the backdrop of the rapid spread of covid-19 across the world. India had banned the export of the drug on 26 March but after US President Donald Trump‘s appeal, it allowed supplies on Tuesday.
“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 Bartimeu, India and Brazil will overcome this global crisis by joining forces and sharing blessings for the sake of all people,” says an extract from Bolsanaro’s letter that was made accessible to the media.
The reference to Jesus and Bartimeu relates to an incident narrated in the Bible’s new testament.
When Jesus was leaving the town of Jericho with a large crowd, a blind man called Bartimaeus (as identified in the Bible) was sitting by the roadside, begging. When he heard that Jesus was passing by, he hailed him. Undeterred by rebukes from the crowd, he kept shouting for Jesus who then called the blind man to him. When asked what he wanted, Bartimaeus said he wanted his sight restored and Jesus granted him.
Besides Brazil, many countries have sought supplies of hydroxycholoroquine from India.
New Delhi has said it would consider exports depending on domestic requirements as well as India’s ties with those countries seeking the drug
Read: COVID-19 deaths up in Brazil as citizens defy restrictions
