It’s not the Sepia Mutiny model to just post news items without comment, but sometimes the material doesn’t leave us with much to add. With that said, here are the latest developments in Bombay dining:
NAVI MUMBAI: A new restaurant at Kharghar has actually been named as Hitler’s Cross and it was inaugurated by the who’s who of Navi Mumbai on Friday evening.
A huge poster of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was put at the inauguration function of the restaurant in sector 4 of Kharghar, much to the surprise of the invitees.
Actor Murli Sharma, who has featured in films like Apharan and Teesri Ankh, was one of the guests present at the inauguration. “I found the huge posters of Hitler at the restaurant amusing. That’s all I can say,” he told TOI over phone.
When asked if he felt disturbed by the name of the restaurant, Sharma said: “I am not really agitated as I have not read much about the man (Hitler). However, from what I know about Hitler, I find this name rather amusing.”
Important dignitaries such as Navi Mumbai mayor Manisha Bhoir and former mayor Sanjeev Naik were also invited as chief guests to the restaurant by one Sablok Builders group, who are reportedly behind the management of Hitlers Cross.
A Reuters report picked up by DNA has more:
“We wanted to be different. This is one name that will stay in people’s minds,” owner Punit Shablok said.
“We are not promoting Hitler. But we want to tell people we are different in the way he was different.“…
“This place is not about wars or crimes, but where people come to relax and enjoy a meal,” said restaurant manager Fatima Kabani, adding that they were planning to turn the eatery’s name into a brand with more branches in Mumbai.”
Someone in Mumbai is going to have to do the investigating on this. A field report from Manish, perhaps?
AMUSING? Okay, lets start amusing… what is next? the genocide grocery store? idi amin’s dosa shack? kadafi’s kati roll? mao tse tungs tea shop?
ridiculous.
i call a macaca boycott ..
Disgusting. Utterly disgusting.
*On a somewhat related note, I can’t stand those Che t-shirts and all that Soviet-type iconography…..ick.
Oh, the ‘all that Soviet iconography’ wasn’t meant to refer to Che, but, uh, you know what I’m getting at.
chick pea, don’t forget to try the Roast Schoolboy at Bokassa’s Bar & Grill…
There are just no words.
not limited to brownland. a japanese soft drink company used him to promote their brand.
In my openion,in general Indians are relatively less anti nazi than the Europeans or the Americans.This is not to say we support them,but because we were not affected by facism as the Europeans neither we were directly involved in the war.So its understandable that people are not as sensitive as the others are.
It’s about time.
We have a KGB bar here in NY. Che Guevara t-shirts are still in style. There’s a “House of Mao”, restaurant in Singapore. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.
I’m thinking about opening the Aparthied Restaurant & Bar…for those with discriminating taste.
WTF…G Quotes “People are being indifferent in pursuit of being different”..Shame on such ignorance..maybe they might even put up a mel gibson poster up there..F**in Page 3 Idiots..Page 3 my Ass..i wonder if those celebs could read even 3 pages.no wonder they have filled them pages with pictures..
“We are not promoting Hitler. But we want to tell people we are different in the way he was different.“… yes, nothing induces relaxation and enjoyment more than a photo of Hitler.
and this was the best example of “being different” they could come up with? perhaps mumbai’s jewish community could enlighten them on how hitler was “different.” given the actor’s statement about not knowing much about hitler and the above comment, i wonder if it’s not intentional malice but just ignorance stemming from a lack of knowledge? i mean it would make more sense if they actually expressed some sort of admiration for him and knowledge of him.
kumar’s logic is correct. volga germans who emigrated to germany within the last 15 years still used the word ‘furher’ in everyday conversation (not relating to hitler) and what not. they had to be reeducated to speak post-1945 german.
Stalin Samosa Shop. Mahmud Ghazni’s Mouthwatering Masala Dosas. Al-Qaeda Atrocity Appetising After-dinner Snacks. Jalebi Jihad Junction. Kill-the-Kafir Corner. Mlechcha Morsels. Partition Pizzas.
As I mentioned once on SM a while ago, “roasting” means something very dubious indeed here in the UK, so Siddhartha’s suggestion is actually even worse than it sounds…..
siddhartha:
oops.. how could i forget? and a friendly reminder to patron these stores:
ferdinand marco’s pita hut castros cigar shop ayatollah khemeneni falafels kim jongs juicy juice robert magabe’s margaritas…
the way he was a mass murderer? okay… and you’re a restaurant? okay…so do we need to hire our own taste testers to make sure you’re not poisoning us? i mean how RETARDED are these people? i’m embarrased to be brown right now… seriously…embarrased…
I understand that people in India in general are not much affected by the happenings of WWII, but at least everybody know about the great number of people that perished during the Nazi regime? At least they could show some sensitivity? It’ll be like opening a Jinnah Cafe in North India.
On the topic of communism, I think that the reason that Soviet logos are not so reviled is that the original ideal of communism wasn’t mass extermination of certain sections of the population, though the Gulags took a great toll on the Russian people. I’m not saying that I agree with this logic but I believe this is how it is. Besides, most people I’ve seen who parade around in Che shirts and bags actually don’t have the faintest idea exactly who the guy is who’s being depicted on their clothing.
how many in the west know abt the partition? or anything abt the long bloody history of the subcontinent in the last millenium? to many indians, if anything, hitler is the just the look alike of charlie chaplin in the great dictator. not everyone in the world cares abt the west.
This just goes right along with the TV crew that assisted suicide. What is wrong with us?? I say “us” because these people really are representatives of the Indian community. Whether that’s right or wrong, it’s human for other people to jugde these people and form opinions about the entire Indian community. The world’s image of the South Asian community–at least in South Asia–is rapidly becoming tarnished by stories like these.
Bytewords,
It’s very well-known in Britain…..
…..but not so much is known about pre-colonial times, although generally people have heard of the Mughal Empire.
^^^^^
not that i support it, but i think i can understand they actually meant
while doing what they did. but still i really think they should change their name.
quote
but at least everybody know about the great number of people that perished during the Nazi regime?
I don’t think many people in India know the extent of atrocities committed by nazis.The general idea about Hitler in India is “Hitler is a bad guy”.Thats all.The ones who know are who have in some way or the other an interaction with people of other nationalities and you can imagine out of 1Bn how many have that.
Another reason for this might be the potrayal of Hitler in Indian movies-mostly an object of comedy(toothbrush mustache anyone?).
I understand that people in India in general are not much affected by the happenings of WWII
One of the most bloodiest theater in WW II was the Burma front.
Around 50,000 Indians died in WW II, fighting on various fronts, including the Battle of Al Alamein in North Africa (Montgomery-Rommel), Malay front (a lot of surrended soldiers went to join INA).
There used to be magazine Imprint, where one of the historian wrote about India and WWII – it is very complicated because of Quit India Movement, Indian British Army, Legacy of Mountbatten of Burma in India (Vice Supreme Allied Commander), Netaji Subhash Chand Bose, and why Field Marshall Rommel was once a household name in Bengal.
I am not surprised about Hitler cafe – “Hitlerwallah” is an idion in India
There appear to be serious problems in India regarding sensitivity to other cultures and their respective peoples. The endemic, unthinking racism (all “just jokes”, apparently) towards people from other countries and ethnicities (including frequent examples within the Indian media) is another example of this, as we’ve all discussed previously on SM.
Someone should open a restaurant called “Jallianwalla Bagh Junction”, and then perhaps certain people will see the point. Not so funny and “harmless” after all.
Imagine how the American natives, “indians”, feel, when they see the eulogizing of columbus..
Pol Pot’s Pot Roast Pinochet’s Pickle House Bush’s Burger Heaven
The problem with this game is that the world has experienced way too many despots. That doesn’t excuse the idiots who named the restaurant however.
It’s a sort of cultural ingnorance. One year during Diwali a cousin (who just arrived in the u.s. a few months before) wanted to put a swatika in christmas lights on the front of the house. From his point of view it was a perfectly innocent expression of faith.
One five minute history lesson later. problem solved. (It doesn’t take long to explain “killed millions of people for no good reason”)
Assuming this was a naive move on the part of these businessmen, is there a way to get through to these people? If there’s contact information for these guys anywhere maybe we could send them a link to the wilkipedia entry on the Holocaust.
Yes, I did get some education in the dark ages: at school in India and Pak I rarely heard about Hitler’s dastardly deeds. MOST Asians in Asia do not know much about Hitler or apartheid or black slavery for that matter.
my kaka hitler bhai sends his best.
Yahoo News is carrying a picture of the restaurant here
The DNA link doesn’t seem to be working any longer.
um..the hil:
the hindu sign is vastly different than the nazi swastika… it’s turned differently…
then:
for hitler to demonize this fantastic symbol is also atrocious…
I know a part of the war took place in South-East Asia as well,but that’s not really what I meant – the most famous battles happened in Europe, and of course I was specifically talking about the Holocaust. (Though, in the Notre Dame de Paris there is a plaque to commemorate the Indian soldiers who fell in WWII, fighting for the Allies.) I thought at least it was known in India that Hitler was a bad guy who killed loads of people. Ah well. (How many Indians still remember the Burmese front by the way??)
the swastika motif is found in many cultures. unfortunately, people forget to notice the way they turn….
the most famous battles happened in Europe
hey now, mebee in europe the most famous battles happened in europe, but don’t forget the pacific theater. iwa jima? guadalcanal?
Since the manager is Muslim I will assume the owner is to, but I’m sure the intense dislike Muslims have for Jews has nothing to do with this.
This is just another example of rich people in India who have no brains and dont have to fear any competition from anyone.
but if this restaurant is a success then I will be opening a Rawanadan House of Genocide and Pancakes in India soon.
what’s also annoying is that they brazenly feature the nazi swastika (a distortion of the hindu/buddhist one) in a country where the symbol has an altogether different significance. people who don’t know anything about the swastika’s origins already equate it with only evil, this will make it even harder for hindus/buddhists in the west to educate the public about the differences.
Chick pea, I think the point was that it might not sit very well with the neighbourhood if the façade of the house was decorated with a huge glittering swastika….(most in the West have no idea about it’s Sanskrit origins)
33 is really strange as spam goes.
I agree it is disgusting. But, Hitler is not considered as evil in india as he is considered in the west. Many hard-core indian nationalists (like the RSS idealogues..) admired hitler for giving Brits the finger. India’s Subhash Bose hoped to join the ‘Axis of evil’ to fight the british.
Since the hil said:
“It’s a sort of cultural ingnorance. One year during Diwali a cousin (who just arrived in the u.s. a few months before) wanted to put a swatika in christmas lights on the front of the house. From his point of view it was a perfectly innocent expression of faith.
One five minute history lesson later. problem solved. (It doesn’t take long to explain “killed millions of people for no good reason”)”
I would suggest that he/she also take a look at the wiki article on swastika. When I was a kid, on Ganesh Chaturthi in India, we maked up our textbooks with swastikas, in vermilion and turmeric. If I repeat this now, would I be called a neo-Nazi? 🙂
One of my posts has been deleted. It was meant to be sarcastic. But if the admins thought it would have caused problems and deleted it, am alrite with it. Sorry if I offended anyone. Didn’t mean to.
Ken
I am just picturing all the talk on Bill O’ Reily and new talk radio.
This is not good at all. I am sure this will be on The Daily show tonight, unless there is a rerun
meena:
i see the point, however, it’s nice to educate the people around you who don’t know what it means…
for example… i decorated my clay pot back in pottery class in high school with hindu swastikas since it was going to be used for puja purposes..my teacher FREAKED out… yet i explained, with written evidence (way back in the day before online wiki and such) of what it meant.. it educated and enlightened… teaching and learning from one another about culture might make for more peaceful and tolerant times..
Didn’t you know, our education here is crappy & eurocentric 🙁 (hammered in the Holocaust till everybody was sick of it, not a word about the extent of Japan’s involvement in WWII save for those internment camps in Indonesia)
chick pea,
Good Point but…
You know the difference, I know the difference, but do you expect the average american to care?
As much as I hate that the Nazi’s appropriated the symbol for their propoganda, as far as the western hemisphere is concerned it doesn’t matter how it’s oriented, the damage is done. Especially when seen out of the context of Ganapati’s palm.
I never said cultural ignorance was mutually exclusive 😉
“If I repeat this now, would I be called a neo-Nazi? :)”
Nope, youd be a paleo-“nazi”
actually, i do… most people i know are interested in learning.. as am i…
we are all in the dark otherwise.. and that leads to the stupidity as seen above…with the restaurant…
another thing is,in Indian movies Hitler os portrayed as an object of comedy (toothbrust mustache anyone?) and majority on Indians get their gyan from movies.So its only expected that no one really knows much.Who know the extent of Atrocities are just a drop in the ocean (literally!)
chick pea,
most people are cool with being educated. i even know a guy from a jewish background who converted to buddhism who is now pro-buddhist swastika.
but it takes time out of your day.
It is never about being PC when it comes to business in India (which I deeply despise). They openly practise all sorts of discrimnation, be it by basis of caste, religion or community. So, it comes as no surprise to me that someone has used Hitler’s name to promote his shop. I wont be surprised if someone opened a shop with Osama as theme either.
Also, the adminstration or politicians cant do much about it because, they themselves never cared about being politically correct either. In Laloos land, if they can buy a vote for 1000 rs, who needs such hindrances like ethics and morals. Indian democracy is like stock market, short sighted and long-sighed.
of course it does.. as does posting on SM ;).. we each learn from one another.. the beauty of blogging and reading.. some of the most important things take time..
time is precious.. and educating and learning is also precious.. just depends on what you find to be important… to each their own…
Indian movies Hitler os portrayed as an object of comedy (toothbrust mustache anyone?) and majority on Indians get their gyan from movies
Sure, they do like Asrani “Angrazo ka Jamana ka Jailer” in Sholay. However, the origin lies from Charlie Chaplin’s Great Dictator not Hilter himself.
Hitler’s Final Solution has never been discussed in India at school level sans few “Coffee House/ Max Mueller Bhavan/ British Council Library” intellectuals.
Remember, both the world wars were heavily funded by Indian raw materials in addition to soldiers. If you go to New Orleans’ “D-Day Museum”, you can see one of the RAF bombers that was named after a Punjabi village.
Some of you people are just bursting with excuses arent you? Your saying these people have the intelligence to open a major restaurant with celebrities and all coming to the grand opening but dont know who Hitler is?
These people are not the same people, who are digging well’s in villages for water and think that streets are literally paved in Gold in America.