One fine morning, curiosity inspired me to waste some time by scanning the advertisements in the Weddings section of the newspaper. After 5 minutes, I found a not-so-surprising similarity in all the adverts. Everyone wanted a ‘fair’, ‘good-looking’, ‘good-complexion’ woman. There wasn’t a single advert without a specification of that kind.

And I wondered…

What about all the women who are not ‘fair’, do not have a ‘good complexion’, and hence, cannot be classified as ‘good-looking’ by the confused Indian multicultural society.

Questions flooded my mind – Is fairness a primary and necessary trait for a beautiful woman? If someone is fair, but not good looking, is she considered good looking? If someone is good looking, but not fair, is she considered good looking?

ACTIVATE: T.H.O.U.G.H.T PROCESS [Temporary Hiatus Of Understanding Given for Heavy Thinking]

Yeah I know the above line doesn’t make any meaning. Never mind. Let us move on.

So what was I talking about?

Yeah.


So I remembered a line written in my class 8 history book which said, “The Aryans were the early inhabitants… something something… worshipped the sun… something something… and were tall, ‘dark’, and strongly built people.” [Am proud of my memory. Doesn’t work during the exams though.]

So history says that our ancestors were a bunch of dark people. Then a couple of centuries later, when everyone is so bothered about preserving our rich heritage and traditions, why are we all so bothered about Fairness? Why can’t we just accept that this is how we are and this is what we are meant to be? How much difference should the inclusion of a few million extra pigments on a person’s skin make? Isn’t this outright stupidity?

This is like apartheid version 2.0, with added sugar and masala, so that it is openly acceptable to the modern society in India, which is, undoubtedly, under a state of extreme confusion, although it tries its best not to show that.

Sometimes I wonder, that if I start making a list of all the people who are dark, but are of considerable importance to this world, I’ll run out of paper. That makes me think. What caused this notion of fairness is good and darkness is bad?

Maybe it is due to the 400 year rule of the British in India. That was a time when all Indians were classified as ‘dark’ by the British and the self-righteous submissive common man of India respectfully called them ‘gora’ (or, white). They did it with hatred, but inside each of them, I’m sure that they looked up to them with respect because they were fair complexioned and had bread toast for breakfast. If I were born during the British rule, I could have sweared that if someone managed to bring Freedom to India, it would be a man like Mahatma Gandhi.

This attitude still exists. The common Indian man is a cynic, with no self-confidence, and an unending list of “I wish I was…” attached permanently inside their brains. I’ve over-heard so many people at weddings as well as social gatherings, make comments like, “Look at the groom, he is so fair. He is really good.” Or “Their son is so dark, and reticent. I bet he hasn’t been brought up well.”

Change my fellow beings. Change.
Think, and change. When the hell will you people start realizing?

I’m fed up myself.

Message for all the celebrities – We know you didn’t use that product. But still, kindly remember this. In case you’ve got an offer to endorse a product, please think carefully about what you’re about to promote rather than the amount written on the paycheck that you receive as soon as you put your signature on the agreement.

Shah Rukh Khan grabs a running man by his collar and tells him that he need not steal women’s fairness creams anymore, and that the solution is right there in his hand – a brand new unopened pack of ‘Men’s’ fairness cream. The man uses it, and whoah! Instantaneously, the dark man now has more make-up and added brightness on his face! That is just so freakin’ awesome!

Say what! I am ending this post right here because I can’t waste one single moment of my life anymore and need to go and buy that Men’s Fairness cream right now. I’ll come back when my on my next post with 10 girls sitting behind me chanting “Hi handsome! Hi handsome!”. See ya losers!