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Summary The retail unit features the German dictator's name on front of the store with Nazi swastika logo.
Owners of a clothing shop called Hitler have been urged to change its name after it drew criticism from members of the Jewish community in Ahmedabad, IndiThe recently-opened retail unit features the German dictators name in giant white lettering on the front of the store with an accompanying Nazi swastika logo. Members of the Jewish community in the western Indian state have urged the shop owners to change the name of store, but their demands have so far been ignored.Shop proprietor Rajesh Shah, who owns 50 per cent of the business, has refused to change the shops name unless he is compensated for what he has spent on branding and the controversial sign.We had put up a cloth banner for over a month saying Hitler opening shortly, no one objected to the name then, he told the Times of India.Hitler was a nickname given to my business partner Manish Chandanis 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.However the stores name has been condemned by the Friends of Israel organisation for being celebratory towards Hitler. In the city of Mahatma Gandhi and non-violence, how can anyone celebrate a person like Hitler who is known to have murdered millions of unarmed ordinary civilians? explained member Nikitin Contractor.We as a community had represented our concerns to the proprietors and we do not think they agree with us.Youngsters need to be told of the atrocities that Hitler committed and the millions who were killed in gas chambers more than 70 years ago.
