Last month, India Ink called for suggestions for new names for “Hitler,†a clothing store in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Our readers sent in dozens of ideas, ranging from serious to funny.
Many thought replacing the Nazi dictator's name with a Gujarat native best known for his commitment to nonviolence, Mohandas K. Gandhi, would be appropriate. Others picked popular historical figures like Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and even dictators like Julius Caesar, the Roman general and statesman. (The store owners themselves said they considered the name of the French dictator Napoleon.)
Cheeky suggestions included “Bunker Mentality,†“Bush Clothing,†“Comrade Modi†for the Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, and “Oy Vey,†a Yiddish expression that means, loosely “Oh, woe.â€
“Oy vey†might be the reaction to the store's co-owner Manish Chandnani's current positi on on the name change. Last month, bowing to increasing pressure from international and domestic citizens and officials, including the Israeli consul general, who brought up the issue with Gujarat state officials, the owners said they would change the name.
But the store is still called “Hitler,†which the owners now say they won't remove until they're paid to do it. In an interview last week, Mr. Chandnani said, “There was a lot of pressure on us then, so we had announced that we would change the name, but now there is no pressure, so why should we change the name?â€
It all makes one wonder whether  “Publicity Stunt,†as suggested by Denis C. from Montreal, might indeed the most appropriate new name.
However, we picked a different winner: “Mercy,†a name proposed by “friend for life†from the United States. Its meaning, “compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender,†is what the owners of the Hitler store might want t o hope for. “Friend for life,†please send us your address at IndiaInk@nytimes.com and we will send you a copy of Mr. Gandhi's autobiography, “The Story of My Experiments With Truth.â€
