Let’s face it, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi suffers from a severe case of Yoda syndrome. On one hand, he was the moral leader of a subcontinent and delivered a large can of whoop-ass to an evil empire. On the other, he was short, wizened and, in the eyes of many Westerners, just plain funny-lookin’.
Which image will win out in the end? One Aussie fast food chain has cast its vote (via Saheli and Age of Gold). Its logo references Gandhi, the Taj Mahal, ‘curry,’ and a name which is both misspelled and rhymes only when pronounced badly:
On learning that Mahatma Gandhi’s image was being used to sell Indian takeaway food by a franchisee in Australia, his great grandson, Tushar Gandhi, urged the Central Government to take action against the “exploitation” of Gandhi’s image, which “is protected under the Indian Constitution and the National Emblems Act… “I am against such irreverent use of the Mahatma’s image…” [The Hindu]
The chain’s radio ad starts with a Middle Eastern tune. It has some guy doing a supposedly desi accent which lands somewhere between strangled Vietnamese dowager and fuckup. Listen to the ad.
After Tushar Gandhi’s statement, the chain said it now sees the light, doesn’t want to be offensive and has completely revamped its branding. So here’s their new, corrected, stereotype-free logo. Take a look:
Yes, their solution is to make Gandhi a Punjabi rapper. Apparently they felt that was the polar opposite of a nonviolent vegetarian.
Following Handi Ghandi’s lead, Abercrombie & Fitch announced the return of its Chinese stereo-Ts. Dunkin’ Donuts revealed its new name:
The curries come in a variety of meats, beef included… What absolutely cracked me up was Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of the Mahatma, voicing his main objection to the curry-and-Gandhi idea as, “He was not a foodie…”
