Dark is Beautiful- Skin Color is still an issue. Why? (Inspired by the Dark is Beautiful Campaign)

In the darkness of sky, I find the brightest stars!

In the midst of the world, lies the darkest cores!

In the mountains, we find the darkest peaks!

In the depths of oceans, we find the rarest gems!

True....No one got a right in this world, to make you feel that your color of the skin is an issue.  You are beautiful in your own right.   The beauty of heart is more important than the color of the skin.  Everyone  knew this, however the society is still obsessed with fair people.   Fairness of skin is considered wanted, confident and attractive.   Even the darkest people have the beautiful outlook, however this is ignored.  

The shade of our skin takes over the strength of brains and will of our hearts.   Unfortunately, not only in India, but in many parts of the world, the cosmetic market is making, that the fairness is the thing that the world wants...  The advertising business and marketing world, creates a inferiority complex in the minds of not only adults but also children that being fair is important for existence.  What they don't care to understand is that it is hitting hard on the psychology of young minds and making them feel inferior, left behind and introverts in nature.   

Schools and colleges do not encourage dark skinned students to come front on the stage.... Dark skinned talents are pushed to back seat when it comes even for job interviews,  marriage proposals,  or today even adding to your friends list in Facebook.... Every person, is trying to put the best of display picture, Photoshoped and hiding their real self....Why is this crisis?  Why is the stigma still continuing even after having the Presidents of Nations who have darker shades of skin?   

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Our beloved church in Glendale, where we enjoyed being
accepted and loved without any bias

Looks and appearance matters,  to some extent in the industry like Cinema and Media, however, the same industry saw success stories like Rajnikanth and Nandita Das and we still think talents are only in white skinned people.    Were we not called Brown people from times immemorial.   Why are we so obsessed with the Nations where they have people who are fairer.  In fact in those Nations, the people are trying to have tanned skin,  respecting our people equally and consider us one among them and respecting us for what we are and not for how we look...

Happy my favorites god are all dark!

My story is a classical example of this discrimination.  I was my dad's dearest daughter, as he always wanted me not to feel inferior when the whole world kept commenting that I am the darkest kid in the family....It was in fact, it was him and my class teacher Satyavathi teacher in 7th grade, who made me overcome this complex, and patted on my back and said that I should explore oratory, essay writing and be on stage playing my favorite dramas...However,  my younger sister got to act as angel and I always got the Three men from East, or the cattle, where my face is covered in the dramas.  But those days, I didn't even realize that my skin color was a problem.  I kept winning and it became a habit..and noting bothered me....

Solid Rock Relationship-  nothing comes in between

 As a teen, my mom always had the fear that I may not have a proper marriage proposals as I am short and dark among st our three sisters.   The first pinch of discrimination came in when my mother in law, sighed heavily that she got a dark girl for his handsome son....that was when the reality dawned on my face of adulthood.   I cried.  But it was my husband who stood behind me and said that the goodness of heart is million times better than the fairness of the face.   His statements that I am beautiful,  I have a very artistic features, and so on encouraged me to divert my attention towards positive things and ignore the nonsense comments around...

Happy Family....

When my child was born, I cried.  She was pink bundle of joy.  I could not believe that I can have the fairest baby in the world in my arms.  I thanked God that she will not have to endure the skin color complexes that I had to withstand and kept fighting all my life....

My mentors who encouraged me to be
good professional, no bias faced on my overseas
trips and happy I was just accepted as I am

Today, my thoughts, my achievements and self-contentment of being a blogger, writer, poet and a good professional and above all, being a happy wife, proud mom, sister, and daughter makes me overlook all the issues, I had to face due to my skin color.  

Trust me, I also tried every damn fairness cream in the market expecting overnight results and slowly realized that nothing is going to change by the fake promises made by the cosmetic companies.  

The change has to be within me, on how I look at myself in the mirror everyday. ..I can look and say, I am dark...and feel inferior...or I can take a look, give myself a strong  smile and say, that I am beautiful, both internally and externally.  The beauty is surely lies in the happiness of your mind and the sparkle in your eyes.    It is important how you feel about yourself than how the world feels about you...ultimately the world around you will change to the way you feel....... Beautiful in your own way!