Colour Paradox..

About a couple of months ago there had been events of racial discrimination and attacks against the Indian students in Australia.. And Thanks to our media the event had been in news for about a month or so. There were some cases reported of students who did not complain even though they had been facing these racial attacks earlier too.... Everywhere, this was the BREAKING NEWS and the only issue being covered and highlighted upon.....!!

The topic of this post is not to highlight this event or its aftermaths.. But to realise how much we, ourselves discriminate on the grounds of colour...???

Lets begin with the Africans who come to study in India from countries like Nigeria , Kenya etc. Don't we consider them as 'blacks' and maintain distances with them...?? And in the same place if there is some fair skinned person, they are addressed as "foreigners."

Even within our country we discriminate people on such grounds. Our society still gives added importance to the skin tone of thee person than their nature. A boy of marriageable age always wishes to marry a fair and beautiful bride. Now beauty cannot be quantified.. But fairness can be.The boy wishes for a bride to be of a fairer tone than his skin tone. No matter how much ever we deny this fact, this is sadly the truth in almost all parts of our country..!!! There are so many jobs such as Air hostess, Secretaries etc where the colour of the candidate has an added importance. So is this not discrimination ????

Indian market has become a target for all the beauty and fairness products from world over. Today we find so many advertisements and products offered for fairness , rejuvenation of skin and what not...!! So how are these products selling and marketing like hot cakes in our country?? It is because of the attitude of the people of our country who give added importance to skin colour and hence these products have found a huge and ready market for all their so-called fairness products and the market does not only consist of female buyers but also the males have been the target group. Recent additions in the male cosmetic product range and their advertisements prove this.

I read a book recently "Mahashweta" by Sudha Murthy. A really nice book highlighting a very sensitive issue of our society. The book describes the story of a girl 'Anupama' who after her marriage began to get traces of 'Leukoderma' and her plight while facing the consequences of this skin disease. The shocking aspect of the book was that even though Anupama's husband was a doctor himself, he did not stand by her through this and abandoned her due to social obligations. Although the book was a fiction, it is not far from the reality...!!

The whole point is that if we cannot accept people as they are but judge them on traits like their skin colour... We still have miles to go in this fast moving world, before we point out to other nations who DISCRIMINATE AGAINST US RACIALLY............!!!

A really wonderful poem that I had read a while ago......

Here it goes :

When I born, I black;

When I grow up, I black;

When I go in sun, I black;

When I scared, I black;

When I sick, I black;

And when I die, I still black;

And Ü White fellows;

When U born, U pink;

When U grow up, U white

When U go in sun, U red;

When U cold, U blue;

When U scared, U yellow;

When U sick, U green;

When U die, U grey;

And yet U call me coloured......??