Unfair but Lovely

As an Indian , I have always had aunties , grannies , sisters and friends telling me not to play in the sun . Even some guys wouldn’t come out to play , but being the stubborn kid I was I never ceased . I am a product of a Dark chocolate dad and White chocolate mother hence a Milk chocolate . I was always happy with what I had , even if I would have been I do not remember . So I have crossed level 22 and I never had such issues . Something happened a few days back that enraged me , Our domestic help a lady that I respect so much , one of the most smartest women I have come across . She would have mad a great engineer , If given proper education . So she tells me about some news going around in her area about a cream that will make you fair instantly , not the first time though she asked for a fairness cream to a neighbor who lives abroad .

I find us Indians so racist that we cannot even digest a fellow Indians skin colour . So studying Population Genetics has taught me that whole of India has a diverse population of people resembling all ethnic groups around the world . Eastern population resembles Mongoloids ,North Indians have some Caucasian traits such as skin colour and South Indians resemble Australoid so we have all sorts of features from each ethnic group . It’s a beautiful diversity , how our country is all in one and the only one in all . Skin colour is a quantitative trait  , you will be your parents average colour . More the alleles you have they will add up to give you your colour .

So we are shown this image in Grade 12 . I wish this image must be shown a lot earlier than grade 12 . It shows how skin colour is inherited . M.S. Swaminathan the father of Green Revolution in India made the Mexican Dwarf  Wheat variety of wheat more acceptable to Indians by making it whiter . Only the modern generation is accepting Brown rice .

The British rule did have a long lasting effect on our population . Ruling Britishers were considered more superior and now we consider the fair skinned Indians superior . Girls have to go through this more than boys but I do acknowledge that boys also face it too . To test this bias , just open the matrimony page and all Brides wanted must be fair . It’s not just one belief but a religion to prioritize white skin .

If you ever travel to India or visit any popular destination where International tourist are abundant , we Indians prefer talking to White skinned people more than other ethnic groups , weather its a salesman , a guide or common Indian people who want to be photographed with white people and save it as a memory . I did that too way back in 5th grade but now I find no logic to it , yes I have a picture with two Belgian girls just because they were white and it’s embarrassing .

Fairness is an Industry in India . As soon as the girls hit puberty they are inclined towards being fair . Getting Tanned is not a concept in India , if you get tanned it’s considered stupidity and you are labelled inferior . We all have one aunt who is so beautiful but will definitely use this specific brand of Fairness Cream which is just like the British Rule . We have all seen the package at different ages , but when a girl enters this impressionable age she does what she has seen the ladies in her life do . Our helps daughter is one of the most beautiful girls , but she thinks just because she is dark she will not be accepted so does her mother . It’s a part of growing up , trying to find yourself and accepting yourself but I think fairness creams have taken the difficulty level up a notch . Girls who are hardly able to spend money on a square meal are ready to spend upto 500 bucks for a cream that will make them fair , I just saw this yesterday . It’s ridiculous to the next level but what enrages me is the fact that we do not consider it a problem . A mother never sits her child down and tells us that she looks good with whatever skin colour she has , because the mother was never told that .

I envy how the African Americans take pride in their features and how the other ethnic groups accept them with open arms . We Indians are not even aware of our own heritage and rushing towards abolishing it . There will be no Krishna no Kalika if we let fairness creams invade our lives so drastically . Variation is the root to evolution , why are we so much against colour .

The lovely lady who endorses this brand is a beautiful dusky maiden , but this lady is seen promoting fairness creams by holding shade cards . If only all the actors and models made no deals with the brand , it would make a huge difference . Shade cards are for painting your room not your face . Moreover I have never seen a foundation that matches the Indian skin tones , very rare brands have those , and we are made to look like we are wearing a mask all the time .

I wrote this as an attempt to make a skin colour more accepted ,so that what girls have to go through today they do not face it after a few generations . I will keep trying and I wish that who ever is reading this makes all the ladies feel accepted and do try to educate who so ever you can reach to . I know some Orange guy is giving the world troubles , but we are trying to accept diversity and being tolerant.