> A friend sent me this distressing information: "Actually, in a survey of “strong” leaders conducted among Delhi University students some years ago, Hitler came out ahead of Gandhi."
However, I wonder how much Delhi students actually know about Hitler.

The NYT
​​
ha
​d​
an interesting article on the present situation, though
​​
​​
​​
not touch
​ing​
explicitly on students:

​​
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/in-india-businesses-named-after-hitler-defend-their-decision/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

One possible cause for the students' attitude stirring your astonishment might perhaps be sought in Gandhi's own
​ ​
and indeed disturbing appreciati
​ve remarks​
of Hitler,
​ judgments that may well continue to exercise an effect today​
​. Note that the following statements were all made during WW II:

​
​Letter to Rajkumari Amrit Kaur (Mai 1940): „I do not consider Hitler to be as bad as he is depicted.“ (Robert Payne, The Life and Death of Mahatma Gandhi. London 1969: 485).

„Hitler too is said to be self-sacrificing. He is violence incarnate. It is said he is a vegetarian. I find it difficult to imagine how, if he is one, he is able to countenance so much slaughter. Anyway, his is said to be a life of self-sacrifice. He has no vices. He has not married. His character is said to be clean. He is always alert.“ Khadi Jagat, December 1941, and January 1942 (= Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 81, no 638: 383 f).

„Although I am pained at his deeds, I can have no hatred even for Adolf Hitler.“
Sarvodaya, January 1942 (= CWMG 81, no 736: 479).

Gandhi's Christmas Letter to Hitler: „Dear Friend, That I address you as a friend is no formality. I own no foes.“ Letter to Adolf Hitler, December 24, 1940 (= CWMG 79, no 520: 453).​


​On Hitler and Mussolini, both "gentlemen":
"I would like you to lay down the arms you have as being useless for saving you
or humanity. You will invite Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini to take what they
want of the countries you call your possessions. Let them take possession of your
beautiful island, with your many beautiful buildings. You will give all these, but
neither your souls, nor your minds. If these gentlemen choose to occupy your
homes, you will vacate them. If they do not give you free passage out, you will
allow yourself, man, woman and child, to be slaughtered, but you will refuse to
owe allegiance to them​
​." Gandhi, To Every Briton. Harijan, 6-7-1940 (= CWMG 78, no 460: 387)​
​.

From such a background, and provided the students​
​ referred to in the previous mails had only second-hand knowledge​
​ of Hitler through first-hand knowledge of Gandhi's publicized statements, or even through third-hand knowledge only of a widely held, internalized attitude of that sort, ​
​the matter could perhaps become better explicable.​


​I just wanted to bring this to your notice, no intentions of opening another thread!​


​Regards,
WS​


-----------------------------
Prof. Dr. Walter Slaje
Hermann-Löns-Str. 1
D-99425 Weimar
Deutschland

Ego ex animi mei sententia spondeo ac polliceor
studia humanitatis impigro labore culturum et provecturum
non sordidi lucri causa nec ad vanam captandam gloriam,
sed quo magis veritas propagetur et lux eius, qua salus
humani generis continetur, clarius effulgeat.
Vindobonae, die XXI. mensis Novembris MCMLXXXIII.


2014-02-13 21:54 GMT+01:00 Stella Sandahl <ssandahl@sympatico.ca>:
A friend sent me this distressing information: "Actually, in a survey of “strong” leaders conducted among Delhi University students some years ago, Hitler came out ahead of Gandhi."
However, I wonder how much Delhi students actually know about Hitler.
 Best
Stella
 
--
Stella Sandahl

On 2014-02-12, at 4:42 PM, Coseru, Cristian wrote:

This is digressing from the main point of this thread, but let me just add that once he became aware of Hitler's ulterior motives (after the invasion of Russia), Bose jumped from the frying pan into the fire, so to speak, by turning to the Japanese for the same sort of help (while fully aware of Japan's own imperial ambitions in SE Asia).
Best,
Christian
Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 12, 2014, at 4:14 PM, "Bijlert, V.A. van" <v.a.van.bijlert@vu.nl> wrote:
Here I have to object. Bose was not really an admirer of the darkest sides of Hitler and Bose was quite well aware of the intensely racist nature of national socialism. But Bose was an Indian nationalist and vehemently anti-British. Thus trying to get Hitler's help was based on the principle 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. Hitler, incidentally, saw nothing in Indian independence. 
Victor van Bijlert


Op 12 feb. 2014 om 20:09 heeft "Coseru, Cristian" <CoseruC@cofc.edu> het volgende geschreven:
And let’s not forget also that "Netaji" Subhas Chandra Bose was also a great admirer of it (after all, he helped organize the Indian Legion in Berlin from Indian subjects that had been formerly enlisted by the British forces, and subsequently captured by the Axis powers in Africa; they sore allegiance to both Hitler and Bose). 
Best,
Christian

Christian Coseru
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Department of Philosophy
College of Charleston
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424
Office:
Phone: 843 953-1935
Facsimile: 843 953-6388
Email: coseruc@cofc.edu
Web: http://coseruc.people.cofc.edu/

On Feb 12, 2014, at 1:14 PM, Stella Sandahl <ssandahl@sympatico.ca> wrote:
About time to invoke it. But Golwalkar was a great admirer of Mein Kampf, so banning it might upset Hindu feelings. Who knows.
Best
Stella
--
Professor Stella Sandahl
Department of East Asian Studies
130 St. George St. room 14087
Toronto, ON M5S 3H1
 
Fax. (416) 978-5711

On 2014-02-12, at 11:18 AM, Matthew Kapstein wrote:
Of course, Hitler's Mein Kampf is readily available in almost any Indian bookstall.
I imagine that the small Bene Israel community never mobilized itself
to invoke Section 295-A.....

Matthew Kapstein
Directeur d'études, 
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes

Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,
The University of Chicago

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