Ahmedabad: A readymade garments shop that opened around three weeks back in Ahmedabad and sells Gandhi and Superman T-shirts among other trendy clothes has been courting controversy not just in India but all over the world. From New York Times to Russia Today, from Die Welt to Daily Mail - Rajesh Shah's shop which is called HiTLER with the dot in 'i' resembling a swastika, the National Socialist Party (Nazi) symbol that terrorised humanity for a good eight years before Hitler's megalomania was firmly laid to rest in 1945 - is all over.
Shah claims ignorance about the name of Hitler and the significance of the swastika, reminiscent of a regime that led to the holocaust of 6.5 million Jews and millions more of East European and Russian citizens. He has been telling people that his business partner's grandfather, a strict disciplinarian, was nicknamed Hitler.
Shah has also refused to change the name of his shop. He has said he needs to be compensated for the cost of branding and putting up the display for his shop if he has to change it. Jews and a large number of people from other communities like Hindus and Muslims have demanded that the name of the establishment be changed.
Shah's claims of ignorance about Hitler seems shaky as the dot in the 'i' is also a swastika which means whoever designed the logo was aware of Hitler and the Nazi Party's association with the swastika symbol. However, one saving grace about Shah's shop is that it does not sell Neo-Nazi collectibles and wears.
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