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Article: Costly Gandhi pen stirs anger in India; $24,763 accessory to honor icon; Montblanc sued, accused of mockery.(News)
- Article from:
- The Seattle Times (Seattle, WA)
- Article date:
- October 3, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 The Seattle Times. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Emily Wax; The Washington Post
NEW DELHI -- Images of Mohandas Gandhi, father of modern India and icon of asceticism and nonviolence, have ended up in some unlikely places before, from ads selling Apple computers to counterculture T-shirts.
But it's fair to say the latest incarnation may be the most ironic: Gandhi, in his signature loincloth, hawking a $24,763 fountain pen named in his honor.
The Montblanc pen, unveiled for the celebration of what would have been Gandhi's 140th birthday Friday, has prompted howls from Hindu groups and Gandhists who say the sticker price is the lifetime income of many of India's poor.
The ...