While the appropriation of Mahatma Gandhi’s image to sell beer in Russia might sound too weird to be true, this is not the first time that Gandhiji’s name has been associated with alcohol.

In 2015, an American company, The New England Brewery, based in Connecticut, used Gandhi’s name and image on the cans of Gandhi-Bot India Pale Ale. Appropriating Gandhiji’s ideologies, the company also went on to describe Gandhi-Bots as ‘fully vegetarian’ and ‘an ideal aid for self purification and seeking of truth and love’. The company witnessed an uproar from the Indian community and a petition was filed by a lawyer in a Hyderabad court, terming the firm’s actions condemnable and punishable under Indian laws. The company though later apologised and removed the image and renamed the drink as G-Bot.

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