Hitler's Hot In India
All over India, an unusual name has been popping up on signs in restaurants and businesses: Hitler.
Yes, Hitler. As in Adolph. Just last year there was even a Punjabi movie called Hero Hitler in Love.
To understand why a name generally associated with mass murder is turning up on storefronts around the country, reporter David Shaftel investigated and wrote about it in a recent issue of Bloomberg Businessweek.
He tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz that he first started to notice the Hitler fascination when he'd pass booksellers around Mumbai.
"Mein Kampf and some various other biographies of Hitler ... are displayed rather prominently," Shaftel says. "Because these guys know what sells."
It's easy enough to spot swastikas anywhere in India – they're a Hindu symbol. The Nazis reversed the image when they made it their sign. "Every now and then, you see one that's the Nazi symbol — that's clearly the Nazi symbol," Shaftel says. "It's something you notice."
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