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| newenglandbrewing.com |
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| Gandhi-Bot beer. ansa.it |
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| Gandhi-Bot sankuchy.blogspot.com/ |
Above image: Gandhi-Bot: The New England Brewing Company’s Gandhi-Bot is an India pale ale. Its cartoon image depicting a robot version of the late Indian leader and the brand name went unnoticed for 5 long years!!.................
In 2015, an unexpected event took the New England based brewery in Woodbridge, about six miles of northwest of New Haven, Connecticut, USA by surprise. Their branded beer suddenly became a household name for a different reason. A petition was filed in an Indian court, in Hyderabad, Telangana claiming that the use of Mahatma Gandhi’s name and image — he appears as a dancing robot on the 12-ounce cans — was “highly condemnable and punishable, according to Indian Laws and amounts to offence under Prevention of Insults to National Honour, Act 1971, and Section 124-A of IPC". It also drew the attention of a large US audience watching the TV Talk show hosted by Conan O' Brian who had made cheeky comment on Gandhi ''the hot bald chick with the glasses" (January 15, 2015).
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| US TV Talk Host connecticutmag.com |
Under the brand name of ''Gandhi-bot'' using India's most revered freedom fighter Gandhi's name, the brewery had been selling the highly hopped India Pale Ale for roughly 5 years. Ofcourse, the mistake was unintional and the NEBCO 'd failed to do research on Gandhiji.
About the highly hopped India Pale Ale made and marketed by a small New England brewery in Woodbridge under the brand name of ''Gandhi-bot'' using India's most revered freedom fighter Gandhi's name to highlight the goodness of their famous brew, it is quite obvious, the controversial name had been visible on the market for five long years without any detection.
The comments on the product stated piling up, thanks to the TV talk show. "The consensus of comments was that the image on the can was insulting to Gandhi, his family, and every Indian citizen across the globe. Mahatma Gandhi preached temperance. Reading the posts, to have his image on a can of beer was a huge slap in the face and grotesque." (newenglandbrewing.com)
“Our sensitivity on this important issue has been addressed and I am looking forward to the early release of their renamed and rebranded product,” he said. It is unclear what the beer will now be called. The company said in a statement that the beer itself will remain the same.
As the US brewery wanted to sustain its name and prestige it did not like being in the center of a controversy involving India's most respected freedom fighter. Further, the company did not want to hurt the sentiments of Indians living in the US and elsewhere. The brewery apologised earlier this month after a lawyer in southern India filed lawsuit describing the label as “condemnable”.
The management immediately agreed to rebrand the brew following meetings with Indian-American business owners, temple leaders and state officials, including state Representative Prasad Srinivasan, said the Associated Press.
https://bottlescansclaphands.wordpress.com/2015/01/08/the-gandhi-bot-controversy-isnt-funny-anymore/
https://www.navrangindia.in/2015/03/gandhi-craft-beer-gandhi-bot-outrage.html
https://newenglandbrewing.com/blog/2021/blog-the-incredible-story-of-g-bot
, USA - How it remained undetected for 5 years and finally withdrawn by the New England Brewery){kind=link}