Label Gandhi: Their tees, his experiments

Apparently Aniston owns a pair of track pants with another famous quotation: ‘‘I have nothing new to teach the world, truth and non-violence are as old as the hills.’’

Irrespective of whether you’re recovering from a break-up or not, Gandhi has always been someone to everyone.

‘‘Bapu is like a chameleon. His philosophy can be applied to various things today. Abroad, by and large, it’s very positively used,’’ says grandson Tushar Gandhi, who retails his line of nine Gandhi T-Shirts on the website mahatma.org.in.

He’s a favourite on the women’s empowerment websites too, thanks mostly to his ‘‘Be the change you wish to see.’’ This same Gandhi quote is also available on a T-Shirt sold on a website which says its mission is to ‘‘rail against the corporate controlled government of the United States’’.

The quote, among the most popular, says Tushar, was summarised from correspondence between Gandhi and a couple who were working in Indian villages. ‘‘Bapu told them that the only way they could convince people to adopt the right way was if they adopted those ways themselves.’’

But not everyone uses Gandhi in a complimentary context. On libertyoutlet.com, a site where they believe in ‘‘exercising their freedom of expression’’, Gandhi is part of their ‘‘Famous Gun Nut’’ series thanks to this quote: ‘‘Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest.’’

Ever wondered why it’s so much easier to find a Gandhi T-Shirt on the Internet than in your neighbourhood store? ‘‘Here, Gandhi as a fashion icon is infradig. The youth are not so connected to his teachings. People abroad appreciate him more,’’ says Ranjiv Ramchandani, director of the firm that makes the popular Tantra tees.

Tantra has only two Gandhi tees and will launch a third shortly. Ramchandani says with Gandhi, one has to tread carefully. ‘‘So far we’ve not been sued by any relative including his grandson.’’

Tushar Gandhi agrees that the tees are more popular with foreigners. ‘‘At the World Social Forum held in Mumbai (in 2003) I sold all my 600-700 pieces in three days,’’ he says.

Now that Aniston’s bought the tee, maybe Gandhi will be cool here too.