Don’t take colourism lightly

What's in a colour? Are we prepared to respond differently, asks Krishna Kumari

What’s in a colour? Well, everything. Especially if you are of the feminine gender in India. Most often, long before you know your skin colour, this has already been talked about. And then, somewhere around five or six years of age, someone would make it very clear to you. You remember the person who said this or the feeling you were left with, throughout your life. And then you start seeing yourself through this filter forever!

And what option do you have? You try your best to come out of this inferiority complex. You try to convince yourself that it doesn’t matter, it is the person you are that matters. In the meanwhile, around you, messages reinforce the demand for lighter skin, messages that make it an aspirational quality. So, there you start swimming against the tide, every single day... at least till you reach ashore where it doesn’t matter anymore.

Why am I saying this, you may wonder. And that too in this day and age? Especially since the campaigns around this even got a famous whitening cream’s name to be changed. Aren’t we done with this issue already? The fact is, it is time each one of us, took this into our hands. We need to be clear how to respond in our own social contexts — when someone comments on a newborn; when a careful remark is passed about the dress of a young girl and not about how it looks good on her; when a new bride is rated on her skin colour by all, right from the elderly aunt to the young maid in the house; when a shopkeeper passes a comment on how a particular shade will make her look better. By ignoring such remarks, let us be aware we are encouraging this. Are we ready to tell that person who made the remark that we expected he/she will be more inclusive/modern? Are we also ready to examine our own biases and take a decision on what we want to stop saying? After all, aren’t you supposed to be the change you wish to see in the world?

(The author is the host of a podcast that examines challenges faced by today’s Indian woman & proposes actionable strategies set in the Indian context.)