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The owner of an Indian clothing store said Wednesday that he would only change its name from "Hitler" if he was compensated for re-branding costs, amid a growing row over the new shop. The outlet, which sells Western men's wear, opened 10 days ago in Ahmedabad city in the western state of Gujarat with "Hitler" written in big letters over the front and with a Nazi swastika as the dot on the "i". "I will change it (the name) if people want to compensate me for the money we have spent -- the logo, the hoarding, the business cards, the brand," Rajesh Shah told AFP. He put the total costs at about 150,000 rupees ($2,700). Shah insisted that until the store opened he did not know who Adolf Hitler was and that Hitler was a nickname given to the grandfather of his store partner because "he was very strict".
"I didn't know how much the name would disturb people," he told AFP by telephone from Ahmedabad. "It was only when the store opened I learnt Hitler had killed six million people."
If he didn't know why is there a swastika?
Well to be fair the swastika is a symbol used by the Hindus and other religions and has been around for thousands of years.
Well to be fair the swastika is a symbol used by the Hindus and other religions and has been around for thousands of years.
Well to be fair the swastika is a symbol used by the Hindus and other religions and has been around for thousands of years.
Well to be fair the swastika is a symbol used by the Hindus and other religions and has been around for thousands of years.
Well to be fair the swastika is a symbol used by the Hindus and other religions and has been around for thousands of years.
Sorry, should have looked at the photos. My apologies.
He did it on purpose. He's going to make mad bank on the controversy.
I don't know man. Nazism is a tough fashion sell. The most I've ever seen is the Iron Cross and Storm Troopers. One is used here and there on leather jackets, the other is either a running joke or a nerd niche. Neither has broken out into mainstream fashion.
Well to be fair the swastika is a symbol used by the Hindus and other religions and has been around for thousands of years.
[h=2]India’s Jewish community have denounced a shopkeeper who opened a new clothes shop called 'Hitler’ and called on him to rename it.[/h]
--snip--
Rajesh Shah claimed he had not named his store after the most reviled dictator in modern history but his partner’s grandfather who was known as 'Hitler’ for his strict manner.
He had only become aware of the Nazi leader after searching the name on the internet. But critics say his use of the German National Socialists’ Swastika symbol on his 'Hitler’ shop sign contradicts his claim and said they believe he is cashing in on the late Fuhrer’s curious popularity in India.
The Nazi Swastika symbol was taken from Hindu culture in which it is regarded as an auspicious sign. Mein Kampf, in which Hitler set out his racist theories, remains a bestseller in India where more than 10,000 copies are sold each year to students.
--snip--
10,000 copies of Mein Kampf sold in India each year? That just staggers the mind. You also have to ask why it is bought in such numbers.
In the case of the shop - I think the guy is doing a "Benneton" and deliberately courting controversy to raise the profile of his shop. The Swastika / Svastika originates in India so does not carry the same connotations that it does in the West however going a step further and naming his shop Hitler raises serious questions -
He's demanding the equivalent of £500 to rebrand his shop however - I'd happily contribute towards that.
Link
-- I did a quick search on how well Mein Kampf sell in that region, and it seems Bangladesh street vendors sell a few --
Hatuey said:There are certain dictatorships you can use for fashion and some you can't. Imperial China, Napoleonic France and even Roman symbols make great fashion items because nobody alive today lived under those times. Even Communist Russia symbols have been incorporated into fashion as ironically as it sounds. Nazi Germany however has a special place though.
True, however, you have to take a look at the direction the arms of the swastika point.
The swastika that the Native Americans used was the Big Dipper in four different directions ... opposite of the Nazi swastika.
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