#racisminindia

[nehalstuff]

Racism in India

So the other day I heard my house helper telling my mom about a big fat Indian wedding of one of her neighbor and how lavish the wedding was compared to others of the community and how beautiful the bride was by saying that she had such a “nice” skin color as pure as milk. I interrupted her and she quickly changed the topic.

As a child, I always wanted to have a lighter skin because I thought that white skin is pretty and dark skin isn’t. My family was never bothered to teach me about this sick mentality of mine. It’s not something that they are bad people. It’s just topics like these doesn’t mattered to them. They never thought about this, and neither they were taught anything like this. My family never taught me that light skin is beautiful and dark skin is ugly. No. I learned this by the behavior of my friends and many people around me. 

Whenever someone came up to me and said ,”your skin is looking lighter nowadays, I was supposed to take it as a compliment. And I did. I did exactly as they wanted it. 

And I did this until I had the exposure of Internet. And slowly I realized that how self- degrading my mindset was.I was judging myself just because my skin had more melanin than others. I never judged someone else because I always knew that was wrong. I realized that I have no right to judge someone, not even myself. I cannot and will never judge someone, including my own damn self.

[anushkadeshmukh-blog]

Brown Girl Problems PART 2/6 #browngirl #browngirlproblems #indian #indiangirl #desi #desiproblems #growingupbrown #growingupdesi #racism #racisminindia #brown #brownskin #brownvswhite #relatable https://www.instagram.com/anushkasdeshmukh/p/Bymich1HuSs/?igshid=231xdqsvmr0f

[superman-2050]

#ThomasJefferson #ThomasPaine #JohnAdams #JamesMadison #RacismInAmerica #RacismInIndia #RacismInSouthAfrica #RacismInUK #RacismInTheWorld #RacismInMexico #RacismAndMe #Covid19 #RacistsExposed #RacismExposed #FreedomOfReligion #TheFoundingFathers #4thOfJuly #GOPFamilyValues #GOPChristians #SideSupplyJesus #MartinLutherKingJr https://www.instagram.com/p/CROEv6plNAX/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thinkingoutloudtheblog]

LETS TALK ABOUT THIS (continued) Post 2 of 2. Thank you for reading. Let’s do something about this. - #thinkingoutloud #racism #racisminindia https://www.instagram.com/p/CBBCO14liE_/?igshid=33f3rxjrdvjx

[therealafrikantruth]

#racisminindia

[ablanariwho]

Not Fair And Lovely

My introduction to racism and objectification

For once the mathematical wizard patriarch’s calculation in the math of probability deceived him. He selected my beautiful, fair-complexioned mother as his dark-skinned son’s bride. He expected the combination to result in a fairer lineage. To his utter disappointment, my DNA coder got it all wrong. I chose to be born rather corroborating George Bernard Shaw’s reply to Isadora Duncan. Shaw declined her proposal to produce a child with him citing the possibility of similar miscalculation.

I did not inherit my mother’s beauty or fair complexion. Neither did I inherit my father’s brain in arithmetic or aptitude in engineering. Rather the contrary. I inherited the genes of the darker complexion of my paternal family. It instantly diminishes a girl’s bargain value in the matrimonial negotiations. The patriarch had learnt that hard way with his own dark-complexioned daughters. He was hell-bent on bringing in fair brides for his dark-skinned sons to ensure a fairer breed of generation next. It was a calculated risk that he took. In my case, the calculation failed. The risk became the reality. First, I was a girl. That too a chocolaty coloured. A bitter one, no doubt. I did inherit the artistic nuances of my maternal family. But those were secondary or not so important for the net worth of a darker complexioned bride-to-be.

When the patriarch’s eyesight became poorer, I helped him shortlist suitable proposals for my eligible bachelor uncle. I read out loud the matrimonial classifieds in newspapers. I learnt that ‘Fair’ complexion was the topmost criterion for attracting a good marriage proposal. It was followed by good looks, caste, family background, and homemaking skills. Last but not least, a Bachelors or Master’s degree added more value. Having a career was not so important for women during my generation. But a higher academic qualification ensured a better catch in the matrimonial market. I learnt that my score was not up to the mark in the first two departments, skin colour and looks. Throughout my spinster years, the patriarchs and the matriarchs in the family brooded over my bleak chance of getting a ‘good match’. Later, some well-meaning relatives somberly advised my parents to abandon their disproportionately impractical ambition to marry me off to a so-called ‘good boy’. According to their suggestion, my parents should settle down for the not so bad, lesser mortals such as upper-class clerks in government departments or nationalized banks.

Illustration: Deepti Sugadan

By the time I reached the marriageable age, the matrimonial advertisements, especially for eligible bachelors such as engineers, doctors, chartered accountants and government officials, started featuring another qualification besides the ones mentioned above. It was ‘convent education’. My confidence dunked a little more as I was lacking in that department too. I studied in a vernacular medium school.

Still, the patriarch was very much concerned about my marriage right from the time I was five or six years old. Often I heard him asking our family matchmaker (ghatak) to look for a suitable match for me. He told him that he wouldn’t mind if the boy was from a poor family, but he must be brilliant in his studies. It was actually his own story. He was a brilliant student from a poor family and got married to my grandmother who was from a better-off family.

But, even at that age, I didn’t like the idea of getting married to a poor guy, no matter how brilliant in studies. I felt a little insecure at the thought of not being able to enjoy the fun of getting married to a rich guy. But the idea that marriage is the ultimate destination in a girl’s life started taking root in my mind.

Illustration: Deepti Sugadan

Bottom line

Fair skin is one of the prime parameters to measure a woman’s worth in India. It is racism and a major step towards objectification of women - an aspect of genderisation. 

Is marriage the final destination or goal in a girl’s life?

Fairness cream

[whytheracecardisplayed]

Want to know what racism feels like?

Yet again, I think the conclusion is that people of colour need to be EVEN more creative in the way they talk about their experiences to snowflakes. Just spitballing here, but would it help if they got caught up in a celebrity divorce, then had a crap album to promote? Because I feel like then it might finally be permissible for them to speak. Until then, his message is clear: you’re still doing it wrong, guys! Pipe down.

https://www.whytheracecardisplayed.com/post/want-to-know-what-racism-feels-like

[theyoujourney-blog]

All Lives Matter- Racism in India

[anushkadeshmukh-blog]

Brown Girl Problems PART 3/6 #browngirl #browngirlproblems #indian #indiangirl #desi #desiproblems #growingupbrown #growingupdesi #racism #racisminindia #brown #brownskin #brownvswhite #relatable https://www.instagram.com/anushkasdeshmukh/p/Bymia6Pndqk/?igshid=1f9k7gebrcrsn

[anushkadeshmukh-blog]

Brown Girl Problems PART 6/6 #browngirl #browngirlproblems #indian #indiangirl #desi #desiproblems #growingupbrown #growingupdesi #racism #racisminindia #brown #brownskin #brownvswhite #relatable https://www.instagram.com/anushkasdeshmukh/p/BymhsLdHhfJ/?igshid=166gqprupcsz0

[thinkingoutloudtheblog]

LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS. - Continued in the next post as well. Please read on. Let me know if I’m wrong anywhere, or you disagree. - #thinkingoutloud #racism #racisminindia https://www.instagram.com/p/CBBCCNiFCF4/?igshid=1x6s3ilm7z2is

[anushkadeshmukh-blog]

Brown Girl Problems PART 4/6 #browngirl #browngirlproblems #indian #indiangirl #desi #desiproblems #growingupbrown #growingupdesi #racism #racisminindia #brown #brownskin #brownvswhite #relatable https://www.instagram.com/anushkasdeshmukh/p/BymiX4YHFg5/?igshid=142029hhotxj9

[anushkadeshmukh-blog]

Brown Girl Problems PART 5/6 Source for the second photo: Why Is A Nation of Brown People Obsessed With White Actresses? https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=i&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjitrLbu-PiAhWEbisKHanzBqQQzPwBegQIARAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fmovies%2Fcolumn%2Fwhy-is-a-nation-of-brown-people-obsessed-with-white-actresses%2F20131104.htm&psig=AOvVaw0feJSGZU_Cj71FHxtdQxKK&ust=1560412508401165 #browngirl #browngirlproblems #indian #indiangirl #desi #desiproblems #growingupbrown #growingupdesi #racism #racisminindia #brown #brownskin #brownvswhite #relatable https://www.instagram.com/anushkasdeshmukh/p/BymiOusHNyA/?igshid=t2kmopnjcwgm

[anushkadeshmukh-blog]

Brown Girl Problems PART 1/6 #browngirl #browngirlproblems #indian #indiangirl #desi #desiproblems #growingupbrown #growingupdesi #racism #racisminindia #brown #brownskin #brownvswhite #relatable https://www.instagram.com/anushkasdeshmukh/p/BymigdvnM51/?igshid=9if99ogs1ao9

[therealafrikantruth]

India still practicing #castesystem #racisminindia

[whytheracecardisplayed]

First Nations chief blasts 'condescending' UN anti-racism directive that called for pipeline to be shut down

In December, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) released a directive calling for three large-scale natural resource projects in British Columbia to be “immediately” shut down, including the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline that would feed into a massive export facility along the West coast. The project has signed benefit agreements with 20 Indigenous communities along its 670-kilometre route.

https://www.whytheracecardisplayed.com/post/first-nations-chief-blasts-condescending-un-anti-racism-directive-that-called-for-pipeline-to-be