A Tale of two India

       

     This is the story of two Indian women, one is a diplomat and the other is a domestic help. The former was arrested in USA on the complaint of the later for being under paid. I do not agree with the treatment of US towards this Diplomat, as always US is aggressive and adamant in her approach. US was defensive when someone called David shot two Pakistani’s at point blank few months back citing his diplomatic status, but this is exclusively for her citizens. I do agree that US justice system is comparatively fair, but only for her citizens, for others it can be a menace.

       Anyways, In India, it is still the semi-feudal attitude that guide an average Indian. The diplomat’s arrest was evoked quick reactions and response, but the domestic help remained unheard. I do not want to go into the details of this case, but our attitude as a civilized society is astonishing. The Diplomat represent an elite India having the means and ways to be heard, and the domestic help represent an India that is marginalized and unheard.

    Our casteist and semi feudal society do not consider manuel labour a dignified work and most of the time it is the lower caste people who do the ‘dirty works’ of upper and middle class India. We looked down on our maids,drivers and other labourers. We have thousands of cases where maids and workers are underpaid ill treated  and in a worst inhuman manner. Often they do not even be treated as a fellow human being, it is misfortune that force them to take up this jobs. We do not have a law to protect them, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the only two states that have a law in place to protect the right of domestic help. As a Keralite, I know manuel labourers are decently paid and least exploited. But rest of India is lagging behind.

     Why we as a society fail our unfortunate children who do not have the means to have an education or a dignified life? Why we lack empathy as a society? I do not have an answer, perhaps the thriving materialism, lack of values in our whole system, and so many other trappings of modernity. Whatever it is I feel compassion is an essential quality of a human being, without that we are like a walking machine, so hollow and lifeless. Let us be more compassionate and considerate as a society.

Black is Beautiful

     Actor Nandita Das pioneers a new cause  by batting for the dark skinned girls in a fair-skin obsessed society. Besides a talented actor-director, Nandita is one of the best brains and a gem of a person. She greatly deserves appreciation for taking up this cause. Dark skin is not considered beautiful and women are biased based on their skin colour. Light skinned girls are favoured in the glamour industry and marriage market in India.  My little niece often complains how she is let down by her teachers and other students due to her skin colour despite being an  intelligent and talented girl. As a light skinned south Indian, I am often asked  ‘Keralites are dark skinned, why are you light skinned.' Once a North Indian businessman in Chennai embarrassed me with his  extreme racial prejudice, he has gone to the extend of saying that he avoids being friends with black people there.

      I have been asked few times by western men about our preference of light skinned girls in the film-model industry, but it is the same in Hollywood as well. Despite being an immigrant country, having different ethnic community,most of the Hollywood  actress’ are white European origin girls. Even today white race cannot escape from the superiority complex and brown-black race from inferiority complex.

   Anyways, obsession to fair skin is not exclusively Indian , rest of the world has its contribution too. In Macleodganj, Tibetan girls are the highest consumers of whitening creams (It is strange because they are light skinned people). When  

I had gone to TCV(Tibetan Childrens Village) to meet a Tibetan student,I was surprised to see her mother gifting a 13 year old girl whitening creams.To my advice against whitening creams especially on tender skin , she retorted that many girls use it there. I heard light skinned Chinese origin girls are preferred in Thai glamour industry. Japan,Korea etc also have their share of colour prejudices.

     There must be an attitudinal shift to appreciate black skin and understand it is not colour of skin that decides one’s looks. And in a look-obsessed world, we must go beyond the skin to appreciate real beauty.