News / International
Clothing shop named after 'dictator' Hitler with a Nazi swastika dotting the letter 'i'
30 Aug 2012 at 05:47hrs | Views
Owner Rajesh Shah has refused to change the name of the store unless he is compensated
A clothing shop called 'Hitler' have sparked outrage among the local community in India with the owners refusing to change the name.
The newly-opened store features the German dictator's name in giant white lettering with a Nazi swastika dotting the letter 'i'.
Members of the Jewish community in Ahmedabad have urged the proprietor to change the offensive moniker, but their demands have been ignored.
Owner Rajesh Shah claims he did not know the extent of the Fuhrer's atrocities and decided to name the store Hitler because it was the nickname of his business partner's grandfather.
He has refused to change the name unless he is compensated for the money he has spent on branding for the controversial shop.
"We had put up a cloth banner for over a month saying 'Hitler opening shortly', no one objected to the name then,' Mr Shah told the Times of India.
"Hitler was a nickname given to my business partner Manish Chandani's grandfather because of his strict nature."
He added: "Frankly, until the time we applied for the trademark permission, I had only heard that Hitler was a strict man. It was only recently that we read about Hitler on the internet.
"We have spent 40,000 rupees on the banner, couple of other thousand on visiting cards and branding activity.
"We have run out of money now. We are willing to change the name if we are compensated for the board."
The newly-opened store features the German dictator's name in giant white lettering with a Nazi swastika dotting the letter 'i'.
Members of the Jewish community in Ahmedabad have urged the proprietor to change the offensive moniker, but their demands have been ignored.
Owner Rajesh Shah claims he did not know the extent of the Fuhrer's atrocities and decided to name the store Hitler because it was the nickname of his business partner's grandfather.
He has refused to change the name unless he is compensated for the money he has spent on branding for the controversial shop.
"We had put up a cloth banner for over a month saying 'Hitler opening shortly', no one objected to the name then,' Mr Shah told the Times of India.
"Hitler was a nickname given to my business partner Manish Chandani's grandfather because of his strict nature."
He added: "Frankly, until the time we applied for the trademark permission, I had only heard that Hitler was a strict man. It was only recently that we read about Hitler on the internet.
"We have spent 40,000 rupees on the banner, couple of other thousand on visiting cards and branding activity.
"We have run out of money now. We are willing to change the name if we are compensated for the board."
Source - Mirror
