But she's certainly heard of him now!
Man oh man, do I have my antenna picking up the most minimal mood shifts of this maximal city, or what?
If you've been following the story, the fuehrer's been causing a furor in the West Oakland of Bombay, Navi Mumbai. The IHT article (previous sentence, first link) is correct in that Sabhlok has decided to change the name (and the Israeli CG has agreed to then do lunch there -- it's win-win!). It's lazy lazy lazy in repeating the drivel I've heard before about "Mein Kampf" being a bestseller here.
Friends, the one-legged booksellers of Bombay, their goods spread on discarded camel blankets or in-hand as they surround your car at stoplights, do not forward to any central authority their bestseller lists. Furthermore, based on a scientific sampling of the commercial wares proferred by lepers at three separate traffic lights in very different areas of the city, I can state with absolute conviction that Mein Kampf is being grossly outsold by cheaply-bound photocopies of Freakonomics, Shantaram, and How Opal Mehta Goat Kissed. (You heard me.)
It's even funnier that Sabhlok agreed to remove the swastika -- which'll probably make it the only restaurant in a ten-mile radius without one. As I think I've said before on here about the swastika in India, but I'll repeat for the Fezzinis in the audience: I do not think it means what you think it means.
(Why yes, I did just come home from a reception, and yes, there may have been some wine there. Why do you ask?)
Anyhoo, just two more quick points:
- It'd be a shame if this very public episode gives India a black eye, anti-Semitism-wise. There are plenty of good reasons to beat up on India. Anti-Semitism is not one of them. In addition to the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" mentality of Hindus, Indians of all faiths (ok, most faiths) seem to appreciate the non-evangelical qualities of Judaism, in distinct counterpoint to their suspicions about Christianity (found voice in recent anti-conversion legislation). I was quite surprised how many pro-Israel editorials have been published in the past few weeks, and business deals and trade delegation exchanges between the two countries are skyrocketing.
- Read to the end of the IHT article. I think it utterly vindicates my suspicions about Shobha.
If you've been following the story, the fuehrer's been causing a furor in the West Oakland of Bombay, Navi Mumbai. The IHT article (previous sentence, first link) is correct in that Sabhlok has decided to change the name (and the Israeli CG has agreed to then do lunch there -- it's win-win!). It's lazy lazy lazy in repeating the drivel I've heard before about "Mein Kampf" being a bestseller here.
Friends, the one-legged booksellers of Bombay, their goods spread on discarded camel blankets or in-hand as they surround your car at stoplights, do not forward to any central authority their bestseller lists. Furthermore, based on a scientific sampling of the commercial wares proferred by lepers at three separate traffic lights in very different areas of the city, I can state with absolute conviction that Mein Kampf is being grossly outsold by cheaply-bound photocopies of Freakonomics, Shantaram, and How Opal Mehta Goat Kissed. (You heard me.)
It's even funnier that Sabhlok agreed to remove the swastika -- which'll probably make it the only restaurant in a ten-mile radius without one. As I think I've said before on here about the swastika in India, but I'll repeat for the Fezzinis in the audience: I do not think it means what you think it means.
(Why yes, I did just come home from a reception, and yes, there may have been some wine there. Why do you ask?)
Anyhoo, just two more quick points:
- It'd be a shame if this very public episode gives India a black eye, anti-Semitism-wise. There are plenty of good reasons to beat up on India. Anti-Semitism is not one of them. In addition to the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" mentality of Hindus, Indians of all faiths (ok, most faiths) seem to appreciate the non-evangelical qualities of Judaism, in distinct counterpoint to their suspicions about Christianity (found voice in recent anti-conversion legislation). I was quite surprised how many pro-Israel editorials have been published in the past few weeks, and business deals and trade delegation exchanges between the two countries are skyrocketing.
- Read to the end of the IHT article. I think it utterly vindicates my suspicions about Shobha.
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