... of A Dark Girl in A Darker World

People recently have been talking about Indians' obsession with the fair skin a lot. But what I intend to do here is to confess; yes I am dark skinned, people have reminded me umpteen times that I am dark, and not of the desired colour.

I was glad when Nandita Das wrote openly on the plight of dark skinned people, especially women. I rejoiced when Kangana Ranaut dismissed an offer to act in an advertisement for a fairness cream. But still, this me had a past where I wished there was at least one magic potion to get this face at least one tone "better".

I truly do not remember since when I became conscious of the fact that I was dark; but I still remember every single time and moment when I was laughed at, mocked at, or ridiculed for my colour. I still remember the classmate who called me " the black chimpanzee" in front of my friends. I still remember with great pain a good number of my cousins' weddings where I alone was not selected to be a bride's maid when all of my other sisters found their places. I remember my father commenting, you are dark – if you need to be married off you must study well. The connection between one's colour and the marriage market confused a 10 year old, but I understood it in another 15 years; but, well... that is altogether a new topic for an other confession.

I remember being invisible while studying at a convent school, where the sisters' pets were either the fair skinned or the rich brats! Disheartening, but true! It took years of building confidence to realise that I am more than my looks and had to strive hard to break myself from the cocoon I used to hide inside.

I read somewhere that ancient Indians considered dark as beautiful. We all know, where the obsession with the fair skin came from. Of course, it came when a bunch of foreigners found their way into our country, and made it their own. Indians had a history where we depicted 'gods and their idols black, and their devils white as snow'. And from there, we took a perfect U turn.

Well.. my thought is just this. What if one morning we all wake up and find out that our colours have been reversed? The dark become the fair and the fair become the dark! It would be interesting to see the chaos! Fairness creams would still reign though! Sigh!!!