In India, we love many things Italiane. We scarf down pizzas by the truckload (of course we like some of our own toppings, like tandoori chicken and paneer, more, but we’re sure you won’t mind), and all kinds of pasta too, with a little mirchi thrown in. When we’re feeling all posh, we slurp granitas and gelatos and forget we already had golas and kulfis. We like our cappuccinos and americanos. We adore olives on toothpicks with our daaru, and we’re fond of olive oil. And lest you think this is all about food, we’re also partial to visiting Italy, to take in your beautiful architecture, your art, your music, your scenic countryside. We think highly of your apparel designers (some take the adoration to the most sincere form of flattery), and one way to get Indians to look twice at a new brand of Indian attire (and other things too) is to give it an Italian-sounding name. Which also applies to real estate; you’ll notice a lot of piazzas and casas in the names of new projects, and Italian marble is very hot for interiors.
And yes, you may have heard that the most powerful person in India was born in your country.
So, Ferrari, basically we kind of like your country.
And, truth be told, your racing team has a huge number of fans in India too, going by the all the Ferrari merchandise we see here, not to speak of the fervent Facebook and Twitter posts about you.
Which is why it’s rather strange to see that in our grand prix, you plan to adorn your vehicles with Italian navy flags. “In doing so,” your web page says, “Ferrari pays tribute to one of the outstanding entities of our country.” Strange, you haven’t done that in all the years you’ve been racing, have you? No, wait, there’s a clue! You go on: “also in the hope that the Indian and Italian authorities will soon find a solution to the situation currently involving two sailors from the Italian Navy.”
Could you be referring to the sailors who are currently enjoying the hospitality of the Indian government because they killedare accused of killing two Indian fisherman in Indian territorial waters? [Edit note: The text initially said "killed," but since the matter awaits a court verdict, that has been changed. ~PG] The ones who your government wants released to be tried in Italy instead, because, perhaps, they don’t trust the third world Indian legal system to give the poor trigger-happy marines a fair trial?
Strange then that you choose to bring your high-tech cars and massive racing team to compete in an Indian event.
Why not just boycott the event in protest, if you think so poorly of India in general and Indian justice in particular?
I mean aren’t you worried that India’s timers and racing officials will be not be fair? That we will puncture your tires and put sugar in your gasoline? That Indian audiences might somehow hamper your race? That a win in India might be, I don’t know, somehow less valuable?
No.
Wait.
Money.
Ah.
Scusi. Pardon us. We get it now. You need the points. You’ve poured a lot of money into the team, and you want to see some return on the cash. After all, you’re still in the running for both the constructors’ and the drivers’ championships. That’s business. Nothing personal.
Right.
We, on the other hand, can be emotional. Sometimes too emotional, I concede, but hey, we’re like that.
I like the respect for the people who died and lives. I'm an italian person and I tell you that We are a pacific group of people, but in some case you offend with your words. Traslate this article of our constitution (ar.11 Fondamental priciples):
L'Italia ripudia la guerra come strumento di offesa della libertà degli altri popoli e come mezzo di risoluzione delle controversie internazionali; consente, in condizioni di parità con gli altri Stati, alle limitazioni di sovranità necessarie a un ordinamento che assicuri la pace e la giustizia fra le Nazioni.
The same Luca Montezomolo is investing in tata group company to buy orient express hotels,why don't he invest that money in italy and save italian economy,poor marines are enjoying in trident cochin,instead of spaghetti alio olio pepporoncini they eat exotic lasagna made from original parmigiano directly imported from parma.
" [...] killed two Indian fisherman in Indian territorial waters?"
...I did not know that the Court of Kerala had already decided!
I like the respect for the people who died and lives.
Hi
Dave
I would like to see what would happen if those soldiers were from USA and not from Italy.. I'm sure you would give them back after a few hours, or after the first phone call from USA. Maybe italian juridical system is not perfect, but for sure we do not jail people using coward tricks to make the ship coming to our peers
I can't comment, since there's no prior comparable incident that I know of. But since we're playing 'what if' here, I wonder what would happen if Italian marines had shot dead American fishermen off the US coast.
Well, for sure they wouldn't be so bastards to attract our ship and bring it to the peer with a trick. Maybe they would bomb the ship, I don't know, but for sure they would act in a correct way. Another question: Why you deleted my comment about indian immigrant in Italy? Do you forget we are mantaing a lot of our citizen here in Italy, why you son't want to bring them back to you if italian peoples are so bad?
Sorry, maybe you forgot there are so many indians immigrants here in Italy that survive with our welfare, our social system, our money, as far as there are many indians factories that are selling products in Italy thank to the common market, much more that italian factories sell to India. So, if you want to say "Ferrari vai a casa" let us say "indian immigrants go home". Do you like the same?
If you mean Italians of Indian origin, people who went through the process of immigration, that's Italy's problem, surely? And for the illegal migrants, sure, follow your laws and deport them after due process.
As for the balance of trade between India and Italy, I apologise, I don't have the data at my fingertips. As to whether the Italian people and whether they would like to buy Indian products, I'm sure they will buy as long as they see value in them, and stop they moment they don't. Whether or not you make threats on behalf of your country.
I mean indian people of indian origin, most of them came here illegaly, most of them usin our welfare, most of them using our social system, most of them surviving just for the money of my taxes. It seems useful to forget we are mantaining the surplus of people that in indecent politic of birth are creating in your country.. Finally, I know it's difficult to find information when someone knows that those information are not so good. The import-export balance is -1.3 billion euros for India, I means you are taking every year 1.3billions euro from this "bad country" called Italy, even if you are filling us with your immigrates. So are still sure that Ferrari must go home, you should kiss their engine...
If you can prove that these people you speak about are in Italy illegally, deport them. It speaks poorly for you government if they can't. If they're there legally and paying taxes, then you're being racist, aren't you?
Also. perhaps you don't understand the difference between trade and aid. If your people like Indian goods, they will import them. If they don't, it will stop. This is not a favour you are doing. If you feel so strongly about it, you should lobby your government, instead of making threats.
I am Italian and I love India.
I love its history, traditions, energy.
I believe these sailors have to be judged by an Indian court and not by an Italian one.
And believe me, there are many others who think like that.
So you are right, Ferrari go home with your senseless sensationalistic and populist ideas.
You are right Peter Griffin, we will make Ferrari go home, and you will make your indian immigrants in Italy go home. I thinks it's a good deal for all our nation.
Here in Italy we love many Indian things too, and we show our love by a high tide of tourists coming to see your wonderful land, and even by welcoming many Indian people on our own country (over 100 thousands, I have been said). But it's difficult to us to appreciate how some Indian people take for granted that two of our Marines did actually shot dead two unfortunate fishermen from Kerala despite no evidence of that has yet been dispayed since about 9 months.
This said, we sincerely think it appears ridicolous to read in a magazine which motto is "The Capitalist Tool" some pretended humour about Ferrari greedyness. Do the journalist knows that Ferrari's job is producing and selling expensive high-performance cars? And that Indian market is expected to be one of the more apetizing for this kind of products? Joking about "business" interests in this case is just a nonsense... From my humble point of view, Ferrari took a rather anti-economical decision, which makes me to appreciate it even more.
Grazie Ferrari for having displayed Italy's support to our Soldiers, falsely accused and unjustly abducted by a foreign Country.
What proof are you asking for? It's for the Indian Courts to decide whether there's sufficient proof or not. And please get off your high horse - may I remind you about Amanda Knox?
Kind Sir, Amanda Knox didn't act as per mandate of a Sovereign State, and the killing of Meredith Kercher happened in the Italian territory and thus under Italian jurisdiction. This is not the case of the "Enrica Lexie" affaire as the same Indian Authorities admitted the shooting to happen between 22 and 40 Nautical Miles from the coastline, which means from 10 to 28 Nauticals away from Indian Territorial Waters. It is true that the contiguous zone extends to 200 Nauticals, but there Indian jursidiction is restricted to economical/environmental offenses. This said, the whole way the State of Kerala Authorities handled the question is at least rather debatable, from the trick used to identify the ship which fired on the St.Antony and the trick used to lure the tanker commander and make him come back to Kochi harbour. Not to mention the so called ballistic exams (where Italian Police officers weren't allowed to take part) and its many errors, the impossibility to even assist to the post-mortem examinations and the final sinking of the fishing boat itself (the scene of crime). As the Kerala's Authorities didn't even considerate the possibility of the innocence of our Marines, they now cannot admit they may be wrong without losing their face, so they wont.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Signor di Baci.
I'm encouraged to hear that so many Italians feel positively about India. I apologise for saying 'killed'; I should have said 'allegedly killed' or 'accused of killing.' I respectfully submit that evidence has been displayed, and that the accused Italian marines were not 'abducted'; they were arrested; they have been out of prison, on bail, but not allowed to leave the country until their trial; and that their guilt has not been proven, but neither has their innocence. That's for the courts to decide. Which courts? There are international agreements and methods for working out conflicts of this nature.
And one small correction, if I may. Forbes magazine in the USA may have called itself "The Capitalist Tool." We, in Forbes India, have never referred to ourselves in that way. We have called ourselves 'the drama critics of business,' and if you glanced through our archives on this site, we have focussed much of our attention on the kind of capitalism that is inclusive, that seeks to prosper, but not at society's cost.
Also, I'm sorry you see only "pretended humour." Neither pretence nor humour was my intent. But yes, you're right, I do believe Ferrari is behaving greedy, and, what's more, acting counter to the spirit of F1, which prohibits religious and political messaging. And yes, I do know that Ferrari makes and sells expensive high-performance cars. We've written about them more than once, with admiration and appreciation. Try a search for the word 'ferrari' in our archives. And I do get the impression that with the state of world markets, and Europe in particular, India's affluent classes are a potentially lucrative market for Ferrari, and indeed for Italy's many other luxury products (and even those who make less expensive goods, and of course, for cultural exchange). Which is why I find Ferrari's grandstanding to be not just distasteful and sensation-seeking, but also mystifying.
Let's pretend you're right and not just being rude because you have nothing to say. So this then makes it okay for Ferrari to show contempt for the Indian legal system? Italy is superior because of..what exactly?
Rofl. You're talking about mistreating women? Seriously? The irony of it all. This is what the latest issue of Newsweek has to say about Italian women - http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/10/21/italy-s-stiletto-murders-domestic-homicides-of-women-on-rise.html
I'm Editor, Special Features, at Forbes India and ForbesLife India. I also handle social media for both publications.
In previous lives, I was a space seller, PR consultant, advertising creative director, voice-over artist, RJ, TV host, web producer and content architect, freelance travel writer, columnist, consultant to NGOs, some of them simultaneously and often for real folding money.
I've been blogging since 2003, and have co-founded the South-East Asia Tsunami & Earthquake and Mumbai Help blogs (which, with other similar initiatives later became the WorldWideHelp group), and the writers’ community, Caferati. I'm a keen student of collaboration and online culture. I've also been co-curator of the Literature section of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival since 2006.
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[...] la pessima operazione d’immagine del duo Maranello-Il Giornale, accolta in India da polemiche ampiamente giustificabili, il racconto dei marò – precedentemente «dietro le sbarre» - è continuato imperterrito [...]
If you can prove that these people you speak about are in Italy illegally, deport them. It speaks poorly for you government if they can't. If they're there legally and paying taxes, then you're being racist, aren't you?
Also. perhaps you don't understand the difference between trade and a...
The same Luca Montezomolo is investing in tata group company to buy orient express hotels,why don't he invest that money in italy and save italian economy,poor marines are enjoying in trident cochin,instead of spaghetti alio olio pepporoncini they eat exotic lasagna made from original parmigiano dir...
I mean indian people of indian origin, most of them came here illegaly, most of them usin our welfare, most of them using our social system, most of them surviving just for the money of my taxes. It seems useful to forget we are mantaining the surplus of people that in indecent politic of birth are...
[...] la pessima operazione d’immagine del duo Maranello-Il Giornale, accolta in India da polemiche ampiamente giustificabili, il racconto dei marò – precedentemente «dietro le sbarre» - è continuato imperterrito [...]
If you can prove that these people you speak about are in Italy illegally, deport them. It speaks poorly for you government if they can't. If they're there legally and paying taxes, then you're being racist, aren't you?
Also. perhaps you don't understand the difference between trade and aid. If your people like Indian goods, they will import them. If they don't, it will stop. This is not a favour you are doing. If you feel so strongly about it, you should lobby your government, instead of making threats.
The same Luca Montezomolo is investing in tata group company to buy orient express hotels,why don't he invest that money in italy and save italian economy,poor marines are enjoying in trident cochin,instead of spaghetti alio olio pepporoncini they eat exotic lasagna made from original parmigiano directly imported from parma.
I mean indian people of indian origin, most of them came here illegaly, most of them usin our welfare, most of them using our social system, most of them surviving just for the money of my taxes. It seems useful to forget we are mantaining the surplus of people that in indecent politic of birth are creating in your country.. Finally, I know it's difficult to find information when someone knows that those information are not so good. The import-export balance is -1.3 billion euros for India, I means you are taking every year 1.3billions euro from this "bad country" called Italy, even if you are filling us with your immigrates. So are still sure that Ferrari must go home, you should kiss their engine...
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