The Al Jazeera TV channel ran a half hour programme on how Indians had an obsession for fair skin. The anchor person interviewed several people as they underwent a skin makeover in a saloon. These people unhesitatingly said that white skin made a person good looking and there was nothing wrong in aspiring for white skin.

It seemed that in order to go up the socio-economic ladder it is now almost incumbent to be white skinned. Indeed that is what the purveyors of skin whitening creams are telling the masses. The name FAIR & Lovely – a much in demand brand—has firmly etched in the minds of people the spurious connection between skin color and loveliness.

Initially the product and ads were aimed at girls. But soon a smart marketing wizard realized that men too desired fair skin. Now there are skin whitening products for boys. Who says there is gender discrimination in India?

I once read an article in the Indian media in which the chief of the Ad agency that created these ads justified what I felt was a sordid appeal to racist prejudices. He stated that as a creative guy he did not create the prejudice. He merely took advantage of them. I felt like asking him if it would be proper for someone to come up with an ad exploiting societal prejudices against say the minorities. The ad guru was a Muslim and I can anticipate his answer.

I believe that at the altar of commerce some people will do anything so long as they themselves are not hurt. However, research shows that preference for white skin may be ingrained in our genes.

I remember asking my just over one year old nephew to list those of our family he liked and those he did not like — a silly question I agree. The list shocked me. This toddler liked those with fair skin. His list of those he did not care for was peopled by the dark skinned!

Sociologists now tell us that at the age of just 6 months an infant is able to recognize colors. From here begins the operation of another human tendency to classify. At which point the tendency to evaluate in terms of ‘people like us and people like them’ begins to work. Presto the kid thinks that color and virtue are related. Thus white is good and black is bad!

At a recent party, a white American asked why Indians are fascinated with white skin. A friend of mine interjected and gave a intriguing explanation. He said that subconsciously Indians equate skin color with a person’s occupation and that in turn is a criterion for evaluating a person. Thus you can see this link
— dark skin-manual labor in the hot sun - low status!

I added one more dimension as follows:

Dark skin - manual labor under the hot sun—low caste — inferior! The corollary may be as follows
FAIR SKIN—desk job—high caste—high status!

Sometime in the 1960’s a music programme took place at an auditorium in Madras[now Chennai] A singer came on stage and sang a song that apparently hurt Tamil sentiments He was heckled out of the stage.. Tamilians in particular are sensitive about their dark skin blessed as most of them are with dark skin.

As a Tamilian myself I tell my Tamil friends that they ought to be proud of their Dravidian heritage and not be indulging in self pity in respect of skin color. .I also tell them that after Obama and more specifically Michelle Obama it is fashionable to be black. It is now great to have ebony colored skin !Indeed there is a magazine devoted to this theme called EBONY.

Incidentally there has been much discussion in the US about the irrational behavior of the late MJ. One of his confidantes asserted that MJ was acutely embarrassed about his black skin and went to extremes to get a makeover. I thought that his genius as a performer was enough to establish his claim to immortality. But that is not how black skinned people look at themselves.

Just ask your Madrassi friends! By the way I understand the Tamilnadu is the fastest growing market for skin whitening creams. It is also said that these creams WILL NOT whiten skin and in fact may harm the user. But when money is all that matters why should such mundane considerations matter to the manufacturers, They may be singing all the way to the bank:
Ye kali kali aankhen
Ye gore gore gaal

K.R.RAVI