Indian 'Hitler' clothing store to change name after complaints
The owner of an Indian store called "Hitler"
has agreed to drop the Nazi dictator's name and re-brand his shop following
protests from the Jewish community and the government.
The shop, which sells Western menswear, opened in
Ahmedabad city in the western state of Gujarat last month with
"Hitler" spelled out in large white letters above the storefront,
complete with a Swastika as the dot on the "i".
Members of the tiny Jewish community in Ahmedabad
condemned the store's name, while a senior Israeli official raised the matter
with the state government.
"I plan to change the store's name very soon. There
is tremendous pressure from the government and the Jewish community to drop the
name," Manish Chandani, co-owner of the store, told AFP.
Mr Chandani said he had not anticipated the shop would
draw international attention and protests and that he had no intention of
glorifying the German dictator.
The shop's name was chosen as a tribute to his
grandfather, who was nicknamed Hitler for being a "very strict man,"
he explained.
"I will have to spend money from my pocket for
re-branding the entire store. The logo, the hoarding and the business cards
will be changed," he said.
"I was not aware of Hitler being responsible for the
killings of six million people before the shop's inauguration. This time I will
choose a non- controversial name."
The row evoked memories of a controversy six years ago
when a Mumbai restaurant owner called his cafe "Hitler's Cross" and
put a swastika on the hoarding, claiming Hitler was a "catchy" name.
The restaurant owner eventually agreed to change the name
after protests by the Israeli embassy, Germany and the US Anti-Defamation
League.
Hitler attracts an unusual degree of interest in some
parts of India, with his book "Mein Kampf" a popular title in bookshops
and on street stalls.
Some Indians express private admiration for a leader seen
as strong and decisive, while knowledge of the Holocaust and the other
atrocities during the Third Reich is often patchy.
Gujarat schoolbooks issued by the Hindu nationalist state
government were criticised a few years ago for praising Hitler as someone who
gave "dignity and prestige" to the German government.
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