The first time I became distinctly aware of the difference between my skin colour and that of almost all the people around me was when I was five years old. I was a south Indian child in Delhi. Of course, at that age any child’s principal concerns would be centred on when she would get the next chocolate or when her parents would be back from work. But it was when a classmate refused to sit beside me, explicitly stating that it was because I was, according to him, ‘black’, that the realisation struck. Being made to feel for the first time that her darker skin shade makes everyone deem her less worthy than the others, it is not be difficult to imagine what its impact would have been on a little girl.
This continued throughout school life with many variations, and still comes up on certain occasions. I have lost count of the comments I have heard on the lines of, “Oh she is dark, but she is beautiful.” However, my point of contention is neither the use of the incorrect conjunction, nor my appearance (that is hardly of any consequence). I did exceptionally well at almost everything there was to do at school, but by then my idea of my self-worth hinged solely on how I looked and how others perceived me.
My supportive parents spent hours encouraging me to look beyond this idiocy. I can now attribute my resilience to these events and I firmly believe that every experience is a new teacher in life. But is it ‘fair’ for a child to endure such torment based on how she looks?
Now in my twenties and with the advantage of hindsight, I realise that it is not enough to just talk about discrimination of this kind. I am certain that many dusky men and women would have faced similar situations.
While initially my outrage would be directed towards anyone who would call me dark, as the years passed I realised my issue was not with being dark but with the fact that being dark was considered a less-attractive trait.
The factors that contribute to such a mindset should be addressed, especially when every time you watch television you have to necessarily tolerate at least one advertisement arguing very confidently that since a woman’s worth depends on more than just her looks, she must definitely buy such and such skin lightening cream. A quick scan through any matrimonial advertisement column or website will drive home the message that beyond qualifications, caste, region or gender, fair skin is invariably the ultimate priority.
In addition, my voice comes as that of a woman from a privileged caste and class. I shudder to think about the women who bear the brunt of multiple jeopardies stemming from the interplay of caste, class and gender, while at the same time an industry thrives on this very discrimination and rakes in good money.
Let us not forget that this is the situation after 68 years of Independence, while our Constitution provides us protection against any manner of discrimination. When an educated person holds such views, it is at best as a result of his ignorance and/or arrogance, and at worst complete apathy towards fellow humans and a convoluted idea of the value of a living being.
But what makes a five-year old child think that a person with a darker shade of skin is inferior to him? He is too young to have formed those opinions on his own.
But it is not just his family that has to be blamed. It is the companies selling fairness creams, it is the culture that promotes body-shaming, it is our education system that forces students to get one hundred per cent but does not bother to ensure what kind of human beings they are becoming in the process, and importantly, our entire society and its value systems.
aishwarya_rajeev93@yahoo.in
