Sachinism Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 Slowly but steadily, a decade-old business around the dead and universally despised dictator Adolf Hitler is emerging as a small-scale industry in India. Books and memorabilia on the German leader's life have found a steady market in some sections of Indian society where he is idolised and admired, mostly by the young. The numbers are small but seem to be growing. Latest reports say Bollywood is now planning to cash in. A film - Dear Friend Hitler - is due to be released by the end of the year, focusing on the dictator's relationship with his mistress Eva Braun. It's hard to narrow down what makes the dictator popular in India, but some young people say they are attracted by his "discipline and patriotism". Most of them are, however, quick to add that they do not approve of his racial prejudices and the Holocaust in which millions of Jews were killed. But the truth is that books, T-shirts, bags and key-rings with his photo or name on do sell in India. And his autobiography, Mein Kampf, sells the most. 'Bestseller' Jaico, the largest publisher and distributor of Mein Kampf in India, has sold more than a 100,000 copies in the last 10 years. Crossword, an India-wide chain of book stores, has sold more than 25,000 copies since 2000 and marketing head Sivaram Balakrishnan says: "It's been a consistent bestseller for us." And demand seems to be growing. Jaico's chief editor RH Sharma says: "There has been a steady rise of 10% to 15% in the book's sale." Until two years ago, a typical Mumbai (Bombay) bookstore sold 40-50 copies of Mein Kampf a year. Now the figure is more like several hundred copies annually. The more well-heeled the area, the higher the sales. For example, the Crossword outlet in Mumbai's affluent Bandra district sells, on average, three copies a day. The book has several editions and is available in vernacular Indian languages too. Mannyes Booksellers in the western city of Pune keeps at least four editions. There are at least seven publishers now competing with Jaico. Global sales figures for Mein Kampf are hard to come by, but the book sells well in other parts of the world too. In the US, it sold 26,000 copies last year 2009. In 2005 it sold 100,000 copies in Turkey in just a few months. The Arabic imprint is popular in the Palestinian territories. Mein Kampf is published by Random House in the UK but the company would not give sales figures to the BBC. 'Positive and negative' Nearly all the booksellers and publishers contacted in India say it is mainly young people who read Mein Kampf. It's not just the autobiography - books on the Nazi leader, T-shirts, bags, bandanas and key-rings are also in demand. A shop in Pune, called Teens, says it sells nearly 100 T-shirts a month with Hitler's image on them. Prayag Thakkar, a 19-year-old student in Gujarat state, is one of them: "I have idolised Hitler ever since I have had a sense of history. I admire his leadership qualities and his discipline." The Holocaust was bad, he says, but that is not his concern. "He mesmerised the whole nation with his leadership and iron discipline. India needs his discipline." Dimple Kumari, a research associate in Pune, has not read Mein Kampf but she would wear the Hitler T-shirt out of admiration for him. She calls him "a legend" and tries to put her admiration for him in perspective: "The killing of Jews was not good, but everybody has a positive and negative side." Shilpi Guha says she started reading the book but could not finish it and she wouldn't like to dwell on the dictator's negative side. In the past, a couple of right-wing Hindu leaders have also expressed their admiration for Hitler. But young Indians' fascination for him has been explained succinctly by academic Govind Kulkarni: "The youth look for a hero, a patriot, and Hitler was a committed patriot. He is seen as someone who can solve problems. The young people here are faced with a lot of problems." Mr Kulkarni says he believes the young are gullible and fail to see the sinister side of Hitler. "Young people have no sense of history. The book is thick and not easy to understand unless you know the history of Germany," he says. Amit Tripathi, a Mumbai-based scholar, read the book a long time ago but just out of curiosity. "I didn't find the book inspiring at all. It was interesting to read how he coped with his days of struggle, but his ideology of racial purity smacked of racism." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8660064.stm :dontknow: :WTF:
Serani Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 Young Indians should buy Che t shirts and other memorabillia like everyone else in the world.
Guest Gunner Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 "Young people have no sense of history. The book is thick and not easy to understand unless you know the history of Germany," he says. This sums it up. Young Indians are idiots with poor quality of education.
Sachinism Posted June 18, 2010 Author Posted June 18, 2010 This sums it up. Young Indians are idiots with poor quality of education. Weren't you educated in India? and BTW can I haz moniez?
Guest Gunner Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 Weren't you educated in India? and BTW can I haz moniez? My education was more holistic and I am not young. I went to very good public schools. Yes, you can haz moniez, if you stop asking difficult questions. :P How much?
b555 Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 Young Indians should buy Che t shirts and other memorabillia like everyone else in the world. that also happens
Clarke Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 This sums it up. Young Indians are idiots with poor quality of education. No amount of education can change some people. USA for instance has its share of klan bimbos despite a decent public education system. Having said that, the education system does indeed encourage memorizing and not much of critical thinking. BTW i wonder if Europeans educate their younger generations on the atrocities they committed earlier and the direct and indirect consequences of their policies. For instance, I'm sure WW-II is thoroughly covered and so is the holocaust, but do they emphasize on the Bengal famine which occurred during the same period ?
cowboysfan Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 it doesnt surprise me at all.Indians are one of the most racist people i know.
Guest Gunner Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 No amount of education can change some people. USA for instance has its share of klan bimbos despite a decent public education system. Having said that, the education system does indeed encourage memorizing and not much of critical thinking. BTW i wonder if Europeans educate their younger generations on the atrocities they committed earlier and the direct and indirect consequences of their policies. For instance, I'm sure WW-II is thoroughly covered and so is the holocaust, but do they emphasize on the Bengal famine which occurred during the same period ? Most Europeans are fully aware of the horrors they have unleashed on the planet in the last centuries. We don't need to rub their face in it, we actually lose face by doing so. Today, most of them are polite and non-confrontational. They have indemnified many countries by taking millions of migrants into their country. What else do you want? Racism, black vs white is not a topic here, simply because people dont look at you like that. There is no "coloured people go to the back of the bus" sign board here.
Clarke Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 Most Europeans are fully aware of the horrors they have unleashed on the planet in the last centuries. We don't need to rub their face in it, we actually lose face by doing so. Today, most of them are polite and non-confrontational. They have indemnified many countries by taking millions of migrants into their country. What else do you want? Racism, black vs white is not a topic here, simply because people dont look at you like that. There is no "coloured people go to the back of the bus" sign board here. I just wanted to know about their (European) education system; i do not intend to punish the new generation for no fault of theirs or for that matter the earlier ones for mistakes a fraction of them committed. You gave a very blunt statement on young Indians in general; i simply put forward a question on the crux of the matter u indicate is responsible i.e. education system. As an Indian i was simply curious on how comprehensive the education system in the developed European nations is, in particular the Bengal famine of 1943 that doesn't get an iota of importance in discussions these days. Hitler may be the ultimate evil for the world; does Churchill ever get such levels of criticism by the education system ? Again, its a question on the education system, not people of a particular race.
yoda Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 it doesnt surprise me at all.Indians are one of the most racist people i know. that's an absurd statement.
cowboysfan Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 that's an absurd statement. nope.its starts at home and i have seen countless times here in the US the irrational racism towards blacks and mexican people.it makes me sick.
yoda Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 nope.its starts at home and i have seen countless times here in the US the irrational racism towards blacks and mexican people.it makes me sick. How can it start at home? How many races do we have back home? Never seen it myself in the US. We may sometimes make stereotype based comments, as long as you don't believe in the following or practice this, you are not racist. Racism is the belief that race is a primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.[1] As a practice, it means the same thing as racial discrimination. In the case of institutional racism, certain racial groups may be denied rights or benefits, or receive preferential treatment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism
Guest Gunner Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 How can it start at home? How many races do we have back home? Never seen it myself in the US. We may sometimes make stereotype based comments, as long as you don't believe in the following or practice this, you are not racist. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism Most Indians believe that they are superior to niggers, chinks and spics. Happy? Blunt enough?
Guest Gunner Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 I just wanted to know about their (European) education system; i do not intend to punish the new generation for no fault of theirs or for that matter the earlier ones for mistakes a fraction of them committed. Ok, understood. You gave a very blunt statement on young Indians in general; i simply put forward a question on the crux of the matter u indicate is responsible i.e. education system. As an Indian i was simply curious on how comprehensive the education system in the developed European nations is' date=' in particular the Bengal famine of 1943 that doesn't get an iota of importance in discussions these days. Hitler may be the ultimate evil for the world; does Churchill ever get such levels of criticism by the education system ? [/quote'] I see your point. But how many Indians are aware of the backdrop of the rise of nazism in Germany, how many have them have an iota of knowledge about the abject failure of the weimar republic? The problem is not about learning history but learning it in the correct context. The Indian education system in that regard is very poor and is declining rapidly. Regarding, your corollary on European education, indeed they may not be aware of the bengal famine but everyone is clearly aware of the evils of colonialism and no educated person supports it. Therefore the education system has done its job. Churchill is always identified as an imperialist and everyone is aware of his racist views (atleast in England). But his wartime role as PM of the UK has cleansed him of his sins in the eyes of the public. Again' date=' its a question on the education system, not people of a particular race.[/quote'] Point taken, I just want to stress that race related discussions so far haven't been found necessary in W. Europe as compared to the US due to a relatively harmonious situation.
yoda Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 Most Indians believe that they are superior to niggers' date=' chinks and spics. Happy? Blunt enough?[/quote'] Says who? Most Indians have more common sense than you give them credit for. We know what we are good at and what we suck at, just like people of any other country/race. I find these self-loathing comments very disturbing. It is almost like we have no respect for ourselves. Most Indians are racists! Yea sure.
Guest Gunner Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 Says who? Most Indians have more common sense than you give them credit for. We know what we are good at and what we suck at, just like people of any other country/race. I think you are taking your personal belief and projecting it. I have come across very few indians who consider any of those races as equal to us. I find these self-loathing comments very disturbing. It is almost like we have no respect for ourselves. Most Indians are racists! Yea sure. There is no self loathing involved. I give credit to Indians where it is due. In terms of social skills indians are seriously lacking, I am sorry but that is the truth.
yoda Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 I think you are taking your personal belief and projecting it. I have come across very few indians who consider any of those races as equal to us. Just read both those statements above and see how it applies to you. Most people of this world are not racists. The same applies to Indians as well since we are no more evil than most people of this world. It is simple really. We are a people who are secular. When we are tolerant towards so many religions, what make you think we are so intolerant and have such extreme views towards other races? I refuse to inherently brand an entire set of people as bad, let alone my own without concrete evidence to support that generalization.
yoda Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 I think you are taking your personal belief and projecting it. I have come across very few indians who consider any of those races as equal to us. There is no self loathing involved. I give credit to Indians where it is due. In terms of social skills indians are seriously lacking, I am sorry but that is the truth. Social skills have got nothing to do racism. Seems like you are confusing two things here. We may not socialize well with other races and tend to stick to ourselves. It doesn't make us racists, jeez!
Guest Gunner Posted June 18, 2010 Posted June 18, 2010 Just read both those statements above and see how it applies to you. Most people of this world are not racists. The same applies to Indians as well since we are no more evil than most people of this world. It is simple really. We are a people who are secular. When we are tolerant towards so many religions, what make you think we are so intolerant and have such extreme views towards other races? I refuse to inherently brand an entire set of people as bad, let alone my own without concrete evidence to support that generalization. I love you man (no homo), keep the faith. Peace. I agree with your point of view that people are no better or worse all over the world. My point is that people in India are less sensitive to these issues. Racism in India begins among ourselves. You are tamil if I am not wrong, how many punjabis or marwaris will give their daughter in marriage to a chawal munching, coconut oil headed dark southie like you? You may or may not fit into that stereotype but this is how many of your countrymen think of you. Then there is the belief of superiority based on caste. It is this very same attitude we take to the next level with foreigners of different colour, race etc. You cannot tell me that this is not true for majority of the country. Hell, even educated guys behave badly and here you are telling me colourful stories about India's sekoolarism. Sorry man, I dont buy it.
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