“Labelled black” in comparison with her husband, Kerala Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan has called out discrimination on the basis of skin colour and gender. In a Facebook post that has stirred a lot of discussion, she recounted a remark comparing her tenure as chief secretary to that of her predecessor and husband, V Venu: “Heard an interesting comment yesterday on my stewardship as chief secretary... that it is as black as my husband’s was white.” Sarada, who took over as chief secretary on August 31 last year, chose to highlight the underlying prejudice: “It was about being labelled black (with that quiet subtext of being a woman), as if that were something to be desperately ashamed of.” She also shared a childhood anecdote—how, as a four-year-old, she once asked her mother to give birth to her again so that she could be reborn fair-skinned. The chief secretary also admitted to feeling inadequate at times because of internalising society’s preference for fairness.
That even the most powerful bureaucrat in the state had to face discrimination because of her skin tone and gender tells a lot about the deep-rooted conditioning that most of us have subconsciously imbibed. Sarada’s decision to call out the discrimination is indeed encouraging and should trigger discussions about the various hierarchies woven into our lives, including on beauty standards and job opportunities.
Colourism is a global problem that has an acute manifestation in India. The bias is deeply imprinted across ethnicities and embedded with childhood experiences. In a 2010 study in the US, children of all races pointed to fair-skinned cartoon characters when asked to identify those they considered “pretty” or “smart”, and attributed negative characteristics to those with darker skin tones. Educating young minds to be aware of the ill consequences of discrimination based on colour is the first step towards eliminating colourism. It is also important to normalise talking to young minds about different skin tones and be careful to not suggest that one shade is better than another. In the professional field, companies can play a role in identifying and addressing discrimination based on colour through awareness campaigns and engaged discussions. Institutions and individuals must come together to address systemic racism. Conscious action starting at a young age will take us some way along this winding road to redemption.