Dark and Dirty

"I was on a 24-hour train trip from Delhi to Orissa. But, after 72 hours, the train still did not reach the destination... and my skin became dirty and dark like the Tamilians." - US Vice-consul Maureen Chao had made the above remark during her speech at the SRM University last week while going down the memory lane two decades ago when she was a student.

Apology did come in quick and so did the regrets. Sadly it is not just Ms Chao who thinks that way. There are several light skinned brethren in our own country especially from the northern states who stereotype Tamilians as dark-skinned.

'Fair and lovely' or ‘Dark and dirty’ is determined by the genes. Dark-skin, flat-nose, wooly-hair are traits like lyrca.. u either have it or don’t.  If one has to have a choice, then all of us will opt for the cookie cutter kind of looks - all females would want to be slim, tall, fair, with sharp nose and good assets and all guys would want to be tall, fair, handsome with six packs..

Color has always been a sensitive issue right from Cleopatra days. Several wars were fought over it. If Trojan war involved Fair Helen, then the American Civil War involved  Black Southerners. Our country is not too different.Take a look at our own TV commercials or matrimonial columns in any newspaper and you will admit that we are still color-biased. Everyone wants a fair baby, fair wife or husband and a fair self. Ironically, no one aspires to be FAIR (as in just). 

With the quote ‘Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder’ as gone as the black and white television, I can only sign off quoting Michael Jackson  ‘It don’t matter if you are black or white’

Ciao.. .. I need to put on my fairness cream with SPF 50