Opinion Dangerous devil’s dust

My empathy for Jews is obvious as I’ve lived 35+ years in France with its half million Jews. From Jewish friends in his Paris school,my son became aware of Holocaust atrocities in Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps,and insisted we witness this dark history in Poland. Since that first 1994 visit,I’ve gone there several times to pay homage to innocent souls gassed to death. Walking alongside 83-year-old Bernard Offen,an extermination camp survivor I’d met two years ago,I’ve relived their torture and horrors. Offen revealed to me how,as a child then,he,his father and hundreds of Jews were stuffed into a closed cattle cart and couldn’t move an inch for 4 days,had no food,no water and no toilet facilities. Many died of suffocation. On reaching Birkenau camp,the bedraggled,sick and smelly Jews were individually selected for two lines,about 30% in one; 70% in the other. The latter that included his father was marched towards what he later discovered were gas chambers. Nazi SS selector Dr Josef Mengele killed Jews not only through prussic acid in gas chambers,but with injections of phenol,petrol,chloroform,air into the heart,or by firing squads. Mengele’s real assignment was human genetics research to eradicate inferior gene strands for creating that German super-race. His experiments included dissecting live infants; castrating men without anesthesia,parading naked women and administering high-voltage electric shocks to test their endurance. Once,ten dump-trucks full of children were brought near a large pit of fire. On orders from Mengele and Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoess,the trucks backed up and threw the children into the raging flames.

“It is a perverse abuse of Holocaust history to name a business after one of the world’s most notorious mass murderers and anti-Semites,” said Abraham Foxman,national director and Holocaust survivor,in a New York-based Anti-Defamation League press release. Since Hitler opened,international and local media have criticised its owners. Jewish communities appealed for a name change. Israel’s Consul General in Mumbai,Orna Sagiv,met Gujarat government officials about the shop’s name being “unacceptable and insulting” to Jews across the world. Initially resisting change,Rajesh Shah,the store’s co-owner had explained to media this name was to honour his partner’s grandfather who’d acted as Hitler in a school play. Now,Shah is quoted as saying he receives hundreds of calls from India and abroad every day. Even local officials told them the shop’s licence would be revoked unless it’s renamed. It’s creditable that co-owner Manish Chandani disclosed to AFP they hadn’t expected such international protest,and never intended to glorify the German dictator,“I plan to change the store’s name very soon. There is tremendous pressure from the government and Jewish community. This time,I will choose a non-controversial name.”

In 1942,French police arrested 13,152 Jews,collected them in a bicycle velodrome for delivery to Auschwitz death camp. In 1995,President Jacques Chirac had to apologise for the French administration’s complicit role in Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup. Today in Germany and many European countries,laws prevent people from hurting,debasing,belittling sentiments of national,race,religious or ethnic groups,victimising by assaulting human dignity of others,invoking events and people associated with Nazis. Holocaust denial is illegal,and symbols like Swastika and SS runes outlawed. But till today,India hasn’t revolted that Hitler transformed the Hindu peace symbol to a horrible murder symbol,dismissing Hitler’s Swastika as being slanted. But graphically and namewise,doesn’t it remain the same? Imagine if any other religion’s symbol is similarly misused,wouldn’t there be a riot? My objective here is to sensitise readers about Hitler’s atrocities; and to appreciate Shah and Chandani for seeing the logic of why their store’s name and logo have to be changed. This dangerous devil’s dust should never again be used.

Shombit Sengupta is an international creative business strategy consultant to top management. Reach him at http://www.shiningconsulting.com