| Page 2 of 2 < |
For India's 'Brand Freaks,' Gucci Trumps Gandhi
Buy Photo
|
TOOLBOX
   Resize
COMMENT
 Discussion Policy
 CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging  |
Meanwhile, a new Gucci store in New Delhi sells fancy dog bowls, as well as dog beds priced from $300 to $500 -- all in a country that has more stray dogs roaming the streets than almost any other in the world, according to animal rights activists.
"We are changing a lot and too quickly as a nation," lamented Vijay Bhai, 81, the caretaker of Gandhi ashram here, who likes to joke that he represents India's endearingly cranky and thrifty grandfather. "Everyone should remember that some jobs are good when the malls go up. But we shouldn't forget the poor and what's important in Indian life. Gandhi was a humble man who wore a loincloth when he went to shatter the British Empire, not some glitzy brand-name clothes."
Bhai and others at Gandhi's quiet ashram marked the 60th anniversary of Gandhi's death last month, but there was little fanfare. They said they worried that the country was abandoning Gandhi's visions.
"If Gandhi were alive today, he would be shocked at how materialistic India is," Bhai said.
He said he had written school principals to encourage them to bring their classes to the ashram and view the simple cases that hold Gandhi's sparse possessions: a bowl and a few spoons, his famous circular glasses, a few books -- all symbols of his austere lifestyle and respect for the poor.
Some of those walking the grassy paths of the ashram said the emergence of the middle class is something that Gandhi might have appreciated, because more people are being lifted out of poverty. It's a matter of development, they contended.
"You can't go for a job interview with a global company in loincloth," said Rutaunshi Patel, 23, who is finishing her master's degree in English literature and was visiting the ashram with a friend. "You have to try to find a balance. In the new India, of course, that's hard."
Gandhi has not been completely forgotten. A group of friends in their 20s visiting the ashram mentioned a recent Bollywood comedy about a gangster who adopts Gandhian ways. The show has been among the most popular DVDs here.
Ritu Shah, 24, who was among those touring the ashram, said she recently told her parents that she wanted to visit there on her birthday.
"They said, 'Why? Don't you want to go shopping?' " she said with a laugh as she lugged a designer handbag through the ashram's museum. "I said, 'No, no more shopping. I want to see what Gandhi was all about.' "
