India's obsession with fairness

Today the nation prides itself on the occasion of 65^th Republic Day of India, a day representing the true spirit of independent India. 

A background into the occasion – after India became independent from the British on 15 August 1947, Indian constitution came into force on 26 January, 1950. ( A 'republic' is a form of government in which the power is held by the public through their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated President)

So much for history and the boredom that springs with its elaborative nature. But what really does the day today hold for an average Indian, let alone the joy of a public holiday and to be wary that national holidays in India have a no-drinks tag, in which case you need to pre stock your booze !

A few things that come into our mind are the grand Republic Day parade at the capital city, the Indian combat forces displaying their skills all along while the Indian president takes the military salute. The occasion is marked with cultural events, awards and medals of bravery given to people from the armed forces and also to civilians.

Its the colors that catch our attention, lingering on in our memories. The colors from the dancing and singing of patriotic songs, millitary parade, planes flying past leaving trails of smoke in the colors of the Indian flag, which is a horizontal tricolor of deep saffron, white and green with a navy blue chakra in the center.

With all these lovely vivid colors, that trigger Indianess in our hearts, we are as passionate lot as can be - staying united with all colors of life. But as much as we love to experience various colors, there is a single color tone that the people love to wear their skin – to be white. 

India most certainly has an obsession with fairness.

Did this obsession of having a fair skin acquire as legacy from the British colonial era or the Indian race always held the fair skinned as sought-after?

It seems the British are not to blame, as Indians always have been obsessed; as the fairer among Indians were well received in social settings and marriage markets. 

Now post the British era, Republic of India seems to have taken a step further by wanting to get the English fairness. As we celebrate the ousting of the perpetrators who came to loot, did we thrust them further into our hearts by wanting to become them?

'Looking for a slim, homely and fair girl for our son'.

'Get ready for your dream job by getting a fairer skin in only 4 weeks'

The business of fairness is enormous in India, thriving further on the advertising and products launched that include creams, soaps and lotion for the skin care market.

 While the West is upbeat on marketing sun-blocks and anti-aging cream, Indian advertising industry tries to convince its audience by delivering the message that 'you can change your life for the better by becoming fair'.

The guys too have not been spared by the advertisers, as they rope in Shahrukh Khan, John Abraham, Shahid Kapoor and numerous male celebrities to strengthen the fairness notion. 

Have the guys been take for a ride, or there has been a phenomenal turnaround from manliness, now not in being 'tall, dark and handsome'?

If you thought that was the height of stupidity, spare yourself for the onslaught and furore that was created by an ad that went on air sometime last year.

The ad that got activists and social commentators up-in-arms was the one on vaginal fairness. The commercial for an 'intimate wash' to whiten vaginas emerged, showing a young Indian women who used the product successfully to regain her boyfriend's attention.

In a culturally-sensitive Indian market, this was asking for trouble. Though there has been a market for such products as vaginal and anal whitening creams in the West, for quite sometime, somehow considering India to be a fairness market for such, seemed logical for the promoters. 

The ad-filmmaker justified himself:

"The only reason I can offer for why people like fairness, is this: if you have two beautiful girls, one of them fair and the other dark, you see the fair girl’s features more clearly. This is because her complexion reflects more light.”

Talk about rubbing salt into a wound.

I used to wonder why is Lord Krishna portrayed in pictures as having blue color, when 'Krishna' means black, dark. Any guesses? 

It could be that blue signifies infinity of the sky and ocean, and thus the artist rendering of God is with a blue hue. 

When we give God a human form, the all attractive Lord to be captivating for us humans, must be fair. Thus the artist rendering stood the test of time, with the fairness in light blue replacing the darkness of our minds.

There was a campaign by Nandita Das, 'Dark is beautiful' which tried to create awareness, instill confidence and remove the complex about complexion. 

When we have changed God's color to our mind's taste, even visualizing the dark Madhava that Radha loved is now a distant thought.