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Hitler a cool hero to many Indians
A correspondent in Kharghar, India
December 28, 2006
WHEN an Adolf Hitler-themed restaurant opened in a suburb of cosmopolitan Mumbai in August, many were horrified.
The restaurant, Hitlers Cross, changed its name a week later to the Cross Cafe, but it is not the only example of how favourably some Indians view Hitler and his legacy.
Hindu fundamentalist groups praise Hitler's leadership skills. A university poll some years ago showed he was seen as an ideal leader. Books and videos of him are top sellers.
Most patrons still call the Cross Cafe by its previous name. Plates and cups bear the Hitlers Cross logo, with a Nazi swastika in place of the "O".
"We call it 'Hitler' only," said Ashish Anant, 18, an aeronautics university student who likes to come to the cafe with friends. "We say, 'Let's go to Hitler'. It's a trendy name. It's different."
It is not clear why Hitler is popular in some Indian circles, but some experts say it is because of a belief Indians were the original Aryan race.
Others say it is because Hitler used the traditional Hindu good luck symbol, the swastika, rotating it slightly. And those who support India's rigid caste system may like Hitler's eugenics and race beliefs.
But any praise for Hitler is not reflected in national policy. India has strong ties with Israel and views it as an ally in the war on terror.
Jewish and non-Jewish Indians were horrified by Hitlers Cross. Israeli consul Daniel Zohar Zonshine was visibly upset when talking about the portrayal of Hitler in India, especially at Hitlers Cross.
He thought the owners wanted the free publicity that came with such controversy.
The consulate has tried to educate Indians about Hitler, sending a Holocaust photograph exhibit and education materials last year to the western state of Gujarat, where government textbooks have praised Hitler.
"It's not an Israeli issue," said Mr Zonshine, adding that World War II was not ingrained in the culture of India as it was in that of Europe or Israel. "It's not a Jewish issue. It's a humanitarian issue."
Interviews with many young Indians indicated they had little idea of what Hitler actually did. They described the Nazi dictator as "cool" or "trendy", and did not know what happened in the Holocaust.
"I don't know much," admitted Puneet Sabhlok, 22, one of the co-founders of Hitlers Cross, which serves only one marginally German item, German chocolate cake.
Hitler is glorified in other ways. A poll of 400 students from the country's most prestigious universities by a leading Indian newspaper in 2002 found Hitler was their third most requested ideal leader of India, behind independence leader Mahatma Gandhi and the country's then prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee.
In Gujarat, textbooks have praised Hitler's leadership abilities, fascism and the Nazi movement. Until recently, state social studies textbooks have featured chapters on "Hitler, the Supremo" and "Internal achievements of Nazism". The textbooks have been changed slightly this year, but still barely mention the Holocaust.
This is the state where Hindu-led riots led to the deaths of more than 1000 Muslims in 2002. Several investigations blamed the state government, led by a right-wing Hindu political party, for allowing the riots.
Bal Thackeray, founder of Shiv Sena, a Hindu fundamentalist party, has openly praised Hitler and said he was willing to wipe out the troublemaking Muslims. And Hitler's autobiography, Mein Kampf, still flies off the shelves of many bookstores.
A correspondent in Kharghar, India
December 28, 2006
WHEN an Adolf Hitler-themed restaurant opened in a suburb of cosmopolitan Mumbai in August, many were horrified.
The restaurant, Hitlers Cross, changed its name a week later to the Cross Cafe, but it is not the only example of how favourably some Indians view Hitler and his legacy.
Hindu fundamentalist groups praise Hitler's leadership skills. A university poll some years ago showed he was seen as an ideal leader. Books and videos of him are top sellers.
Most patrons still call the Cross Cafe by its previous name. Plates and cups bear the Hitlers Cross logo, with a Nazi swastika in place of the "O".
"We call it 'Hitler' only," said Ashish Anant, 18, an aeronautics university student who likes to come to the cafe with friends. "We say, 'Let's go to Hitler'. It's a trendy name. It's different."
It is not clear why Hitler is popular in some Indian circles, but some experts say it is because of a belief Indians were the original Aryan race.
Others say it is because Hitler used the traditional Hindu good luck symbol, the swastika, rotating it slightly. And those who support India's rigid caste system may like Hitler's eugenics and race beliefs.
But any praise for Hitler is not reflected in national policy. India has strong ties with Israel and views it as an ally in the war on terror.
Jewish and non-Jewish Indians were horrified by Hitlers Cross. Israeli consul Daniel Zohar Zonshine was visibly upset when talking about the portrayal of Hitler in India, especially at Hitlers Cross.
He thought the owners wanted the free publicity that came with such controversy.
The consulate has tried to educate Indians about Hitler, sending a Holocaust photograph exhibit and education materials last year to the western state of Gujarat, where government textbooks have praised Hitler.
"It's not an Israeli issue," said Mr Zonshine, adding that World War II was not ingrained in the culture of India as it was in that of Europe or Israel. "It's not a Jewish issue. It's a humanitarian issue."
Interviews with many young Indians indicated they had little idea of what Hitler actually did. They described the Nazi dictator as "cool" or "trendy", and did not know what happened in the Holocaust.
"I don't know much," admitted Puneet Sabhlok, 22, one of the co-founders of Hitlers Cross, which serves only one marginally German item, German chocolate cake.
Hitler is glorified in other ways. A poll of 400 students from the country's most prestigious universities by a leading Indian newspaper in 2002 found Hitler was their third most requested ideal leader of India, behind independence leader Mahatma Gandhi and the country's then prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee.
In Gujarat, textbooks have praised Hitler's leadership abilities, fascism and the Nazi movement. Until recently, state social studies textbooks have featured chapters on "Hitler, the Supremo" and "Internal achievements of Nazism". The textbooks have been changed slightly this year, but still barely mention the Holocaust.
This is the state where Hindu-led riots led to the deaths of more than 1000 Muslims in 2002. Several investigations blamed the state government, led by a right-wing Hindu political party, for allowing the riots.
Bal Thackeray, founder of Shiv Sena, a Hindu fundamentalist party, has openly praised Hitler and said he was willing to wipe out the troublemaking Muslims. And Hitler's autobiography, Mein Kampf, still flies off the shelves of many bookstores.
