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We have talked about whether People Face Racism in Delhi and the treatment meted out to foreigners on this site but this is a subject that is serious enough to merit further discussion.

Double Standard

The fact is that we Indians are racist, and we don’t acknowledge our behaviour as racism. We are also extremely thin skinned when it comes to racism. We will be up in arms against alleged racist attacks on Indians in foreign countries (like this bar in Mumbai put up a sign outside saying they would not sell Foster’s an Australian brand of beer because of the racists attacks on Indians in Oz), but have nothing to say when foreigners in India encounter racism. Rather it is laughed off!

Fair is Equal to Lovely

How many advertisements for skin creams have you seen where the dark skinned, unpopular underachieving girl who is typically turned down by suitors is transformed into a fair skinned, confident, successful girl who gets her man? How many matrimonial ads have you seen that begin ‘Wanted fair skinned …”?

All our dusky skinned models will testify to routinely being made to look fairer for the camera and for the most part dark skin is rejected by show biz and the glamour world as well. Look at our mythology: Asuras are always the demons, the dark skinned ones with macabre teeth and hair. Krishna is said to have been dark, but for some reason is always portrayed blue in pictorial representations.


I myself can testify to the preoccupation that we Indians have with fair skin. I have often got preferential treatment simply because I am fair skinned! It is this preoccupation with fair skin that has us mistreating Africans who visit our country. Did you know the IPL sent back two British African cheer leaders because of the colour of their skin? There are many more instances of racial discrimination that we Indians dish out in this write up and I think this is a national shame!


The Racist NRI

We Indians even seem to carry our racism and racial prejudice abroad. According to this Outlook article, our Gujju behens in England, will scorn to drive a ‘BMW’, by which they mean that their girls will not marry Blacks, Muslims and Whites! Be very clear, the Indian abroad is very keen to be seen to be at ease with the white community, to be seen socialising and doing business with the white populace, but when it comes marriage, this gives way to the desire to be with ‘one’s own type’.  But even that is preferable to a ‘kalia’ or a ‘hubshi’. Again, shameful!

Much education and enlightenment with us citizens being proactive is required in order to wash this taint of racism from the Indian psyche, otherwise it will continue to be like that poll that the Times of India ran recently: Are we Indians racist? The answer was a resounding yes! By a big majority!