Indian Jews Outraged Over 'The Nazi Collection' Line of Bedspreads

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 10:48 pm

MUMBAI, India — Leaders of India's Jewish community expressed outrage Sunday over a new line of bedspreads called "The Nazi Collection" from a Mumbai-based home furnishing company that used swastikas in its promotional material.

The furnishing dealer said the name stands for "New Arrival Zone for India" and was not meant to be anti-Semitic.

But Jewish groups said they would file a lawsuit against the company.

"This is an enormous insult to Jews and all right-thinking people and must be retracted," said Jonathan Solomon, chairman of the Indian Jewish Federation.

There are about 5,500 Jews living in India, a predominantly Hindu nation of 1.1 billion people.

The bedspread line is not yet on sale, but brochures were handed out in a mall in a northern Mumbai suburb, the Times of India newspaper reported Sunday.

Furnishing dealer Kapil Kumar Todi said he chose the name because "that's what came to my mind," according to the paper.

"It really does not matter to me who feels bad about it," he said.

The swastika symbol, which was appropriated by the Nazis, was originally an ancient symbol used in Hinduism, Buddhism and other religions, and is still displayed all over India in hopes of bringing luck.

Last year, a restaurant in Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment capital, changed its name from Hitler's Cross after the city's Jewish community protested. The restaurant used swastikas on its signs and menus

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:00 pm

What are people thinking?

I guess they don't want to sell their products - what a idiot

There's a boycott

Patsy

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:08 pm

Patsy Warnick;702701 wrote: What are people thinking?

I guess they don't want to sell their products - what a idiot

There's a boycott

Patsy
I know, Patsy! What's next- yellow star shower curtains?!

Post by **spot** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 8:59 am

I did look and it did seem to me to have no N A Z I connotations other than the word itself.

We have two examples in the UK. One's a clothing chain called F C U K which insists it's not making play with the almost-obscenity. Rubbish, of course it is.

The other is the privatized garbage collection service, S I T A, which outraged Hindus worldwide by naming every garbage truck they run with the name of one of their most revered and loved gods.

Did I mention M O R E, the US long thin cigarette whose name means "death" in France? It added to the sales, the French having a sense of humor.

If those three can get away with it, so can a clothing collection in Mumbai.

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:04 am

I just don't know why someone would want to put a negative spin on a product they're promoting/selling - makes no sense.

Patsy

Post by **spot** » Mon Oct 01, 2007 9:08 am

Patsy Warnick;702863 wrote: I just don't know why someone would want to put a negative spin on a product they're promoting/selling - makes no sense.

Patsy

This is India, Patsy. I honestly doubt that Kapil Kumar Todi had a clue he was using a word with bad connotations in the world at large, he was merely abbreviating his slogan. I don't think the garbage collectors were deliberately insulting Hindus worldwide either with their SITA label.

Post by **spot** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 5:20 am

Patsy seems to have regarded the previous post as somehow critical of her. I assume, when posting, that everyone else can run up a Google News window if they're puzzled and that I don't need to quote explicitly regarding every little nook and cranny of a story if I post keywords here to make it clear what I've been reading. In this case it's a Reuters comment on the limited general awareness of Nazi Germany within India. I note that no news stories have actually shown the offending photos from the advertising handouts, merely describing the presence of a swastika in two of them. I expect they're very unlike Nazi German versions of the swastika, and in other less inflammatory versions originated in India a long time ago the symbol has a perfectly respectable provenance in Hindu circles.Holocaust awareness in India is limited and Hitler is regarded by many as just another historical figure. "What this says is there is a severe lack of awareness of what millions of Jews were subjected to by one man," said Solomon. "We will stop all attempts to rehabilitate Hitler in any form, anywhere."

http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/i ... 30?sp=true

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 5:47 am

"It really does not matter to me who feels bad about it," he said.

India may be ignorant of Naziism, but the above attitude should be inexcusable once they have been made aware of the offending symbol. A more sensitive entity would have apologized and changed their line's name. If the US or many other countries were to say that, I am sure there'd be a considerable backlash.

Post by **spot** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 6:14 am

RedGlitter;703267 wrote: India may be ignorant of Naziism, but the above attitude should be inexcusable once they have been made aware of the offending symbol. A more sensitive entity would have apologized and changed their line's name. If the US or many other countries were to say that, I am sure there'd be a considerable backlash.

If the US or many other countries were to say that? He's a private individual, he has limited resources, he has tied them into this investment and suddenly the world's press has given him the sort of international publicity that no amount of money could buy in the normal course of events. His future has been assured, his sales will be a hundred times what they'd have been, he has turned from an aspiring trader to a wealthy man overnight. Why on earth should he shut his product line down and apologize? You haven't grasped yet that his bedspreads aren't Hitlerian Nuremberg Rally flags, they're Indian Decorative 21st Century Ethnic.

Do you know what the garbage collection service said when Hindus screamed foul at the sight of SITA on the nation's garbage collection trucks? Tough titty, effectively - not a one was changed and ten years later they're still running up my street every week. Too expensive, they said. Outraging a section of society wasn't an issue, they said, it was their trade name and they were sticking to it. So now we have the New Arrival Zone of India bedspread range and a colossal brand recognition courtesy of the chairman of the Indian Jewish Federation. I do hope he feels at least slightly foolish.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 6:31 am

Speaking of SITA, Seattle Washington has a bus line called "South Lake Union Trolley." In a matter of days t shirts reading "Ride the S.L.U.T." were sold out.

Richard Bell · Post by **Richard Bell** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 6:45 am

RedGlitter;703303 wrote: Speaking of SITA, Seattle Washington has a bus line called "South Lake Union Trolley." In a matter of days t shirts reading "Ride the S.L.U.T." were sold out.

LOL !!

My Facebook profile mentions that I'm a graduate of the

South Hastings Institute of Technology.

True story : The national right wing parties in Canada, the Progressive Conservative and Reform parties merged a few years ago. At the founding convention, it was announced that the new party was to be named the Conservative Reform Alliance Party.

That name was changed within hours.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 6:53 am

:wah: :wah: !!!!

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:47 am

Alright RED

I'm from Seattle - I know there's a full moon......:wah:

Patsy

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 3:35 pm

RedGlitter;703267 wrote: India may be ignorant of Naziism, but the above attitude should be inexcusable once they have been made aware of the offending symbol. A more sensitive entity would have apologized and changed their line's name. If the US or many other countries were to say that, I am sure there'd be a considerable backlash.

OK, can we try putting this one into reverse.

You have a start-up business that's doing very well for itself thank you. You're quite proud of you company logo - it's a shamrock to bring you luck.

Along comes a Hispanic immigré and insists that you change your logo as, in his religion the four leaved plant is a sign of satan.

What do you imagine you reaction would be?

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:21 pm

Bryn Mawr;703757 wrote: OK, can we try putting this one into reverse.

You have a start-up business that's doing very well for itself thank you. You're quite proud of you company logo - it's a shamrock to bring you luck.

Along comes a Hispanic immigré and insists that you change your logo as, in his religion the four leaved plant is a sign of satan.

What do you imagine you reaction would be?

Hmm. That's a fair point. I thought about it.

First I would apologize and explain what it represents for me and why I chose it. I wouldn't be so arrogant as to say "It doesn't matter to me who is offended" or whatever that guy said. I know this was just an example but in the example you used I have to say I probably would not change it because it was based in someone's religion. Religion is not concrete enough of a reason for me. Hitler's doings certainly are though. There is no denying what happened there. That would be the difference for me. That may not be the "right" answer but it's my honest one. If the Gay Alliance asked me not to use rainbows, I still would....if the Jewish Alliance asked me not to use a six pointed yellow star, I would oblige them if at all possible. So I guess my answer is based on an individual's own ethics, conscience and what they deem important as they see it. I wouldn't remove the shamrock and this guy sees no reason to remove his swastika.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:26 pm

Scrat;703806 wrote: It seems that the above has nothing to be said for it. It seems the radical Jews want to impose their views on everyone no matter where they are. I say they should mind their own business.

I don't think that's really fair, Scrat. What's to say these Jews are radical? Because they wanted to make aware someone who had either no clue or total disregard for the connotation the swastika carries for most of the rest of us?

Post by **spot** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 2:55 am

RedGlitter;703815 wrote: Because they wanted to make aware someone who had either no clue or total disregard for the connotation the swastika carries for most of the rest of us?

It goes rather further than making someone aware, it has all the potential to bankrupt Kapil Kumar Todi and put him out of business. Firstly "Jewish groups said they would file a lawsuit against the company" and secondly this small furnishing business' investment in their new range will be lost if they withdraw it.

I can see what I'm going to have to do to support the guy since you still seem to think he's using Hitlerian symbolism, I'm going to have to use a Hindu (as opposed to Nazi-German) swastika in my sig here in solidarity. The two are not the same, never were the same, and the Hindu symbol is far older than the European one. Perhaps that will educate people. http://www.hindujagat.com/index.html discusses the issue, if that helps clarify matters.

How about one of these?

................