Racism in India

To all the Indians who say, 'Black Lives Matter'.

First of all, thank you. I'm glad you're saying that. Support, in any form, is important.

But don't stop there. If you mean it, if you genuinely mean it, do more.

• Stop endorsing / buying fairness creams. And yes, this applies to both women and men. Changing 'Fair & Lovely' to 'Fair & Handsome' only makes it both racist and sexist. 
• Stop looking for 'fair' brides. And I don't just mean in the blatantly racist matrimonial ads that run in the newspaper. This also applies to the 'oh so subtle' ways of judging potential partners based on their fairness. But what's wrong about wanting a good looking life partner? That's an entire post for another time, but for now, go with this: why does good looking have to equate with fair?! That's racism.
• Stop preventing your daughters from spending time in the sun. We know the concern isn't a sunstroke, it's darker skin. Why is your child getting tanned such a problem? Think about the answer. It lies within racism.
• Stop complementing people for being fair. By complementing, you're suggesting that being fair is better than being dark skinned. That's racism.
• Stop de-valuing people with darker skin. We've all heard it: Did you see the girl he married? I was shocked! Such a good looking, handsome boy, with such a dark girl! This. Is. Racism.
• Stop making songs on fair skin. And for everyone else, stop endorsing them.

The above list is only the beginning. Racist beliefs, speech and actions are so deeply embedded in our lives that we barely even notice it. Granted, the racist actions are of a different level than what we're seeing in the west, but the root is the same: the belief that a fair skinned person is better than a dark skinned person. And that, is a problem.

It's said that the first part of solving a problem is accepting there's a problem. So a starting point might be admitting the racism we see and propagate in our daily lives. 

I know, the problem is bigger than one person. But maybe the solution can start with just one person.

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PS: Yes, while we're on the topic of discrimination in India, there are many other lives being silenced and threatened. All need to be addressed.