If the recent disturbing events in the country are anything to go by, then they point towards one thing — being a woman in India is not an easy existence. Given how the obsession with fair skin runs deep and beauty is often determined by the colour of the skin, it is even more difficult if you have a dusky complexion. Which is why, this poem by Hema Gopinath Sah, a Mumbai-based blogger-mother, titled Kali is creating a buzz on social media. The beautiful, stirring poem chronicles the life of a dark-skinned woman from the time she was born to the time she becomes a mother herself, and how she faces the society's presumptions and stereotypes against dark-skin. "Kali It was my mother’s fault that she birthed Me on the banks of Kaveri For try as they did they could not wash the black alluvial soil off my skin." Sah rues over how society takes it upon themselves to even provide remedies for your "condition": "Stick to gold jewellery, silver makes you darker." "Stay indoors, don't swim, don't tan, it's OK That your Vit D levels drop to 4.75." etc. are some of the gems you can collect over time if you don't fit into the moulds of beauty and perfection. Simple yet poignant, the 45-year-old's words shed light over certain women's struggles with something they had no control over in the first place — that they were born with skin tone a couple of shades darker than the rest. Read her post here. "Kali It was my mother’s fault that she birthed Me on the banks of Kaveri For try as they did they could not wash the black alluvial soil off my skin Kali Little piece of coal my mother’s brother calls me As he pretends he can’t spot me in the darkened birthing chamber It sounds very cute when said in Tamil An endearment. Kali This one just got baked a little longer in the oven laughs my father when My mother guiltily presents him with yet another daughter One whose skin only a paddy farmer could love. Kali I am six when I am made to understand that I who was proudly showing off my 99% in Maths was less than my classmate, At least I’m fairer than you she says, Sadly looking down at her own 73% marks Kali Raahat Ali hisses the epithet in class 3, that I would get familiar with through the years Because I refuse to let him hold my hand Kali The shame I feel looking at my white face black neck makeup at my Arangetram The shame Is for the secret pleasure that even though I look like a clown, I am fair For two hours Kali I burn my skin to a crisp with hydrogen peroxide, congratulations. I now possess blonde sideburns to contrast my black skin. Kali The proud mother of a prospective groom, who insisted on a fair skinned bride For her son who was ‘white as milk’ Amma told her off in no uncertain terms that her daughter Is dark as decoction and only when you mix the two. Do you get rich aromatic Coffee Kali The boy who said your skin shines Like burnished copper. I let him go, I thought he was lying. Boris Becker declared that the only time He noticed that his girlfriend was black Was when he saw how beautiful her skin Looked against his white sheets Kali Touching my husband’s peachy creamy skin when we make love Wondering how he could find me desirable Kali Lakme has three shades white, off-white and peach The joy I feel when I purchase my first compact At Heera Panna smugglers market At age 26 It is the mythical, never seen before MAC compact, In the pre- Manmohan Singh era And it is the exact shade of my skin, NC45 They got me. They knew I existed. I had a number. I still have that compact. After 18 years. But the shop assistant wants me to buy NC 44 Because it makes me look fairer. Kali I'm pushing my light-skinned daughter on the swings Someone asks me where her mother is I bristle that I'm the mother The lady giggles apologetically, Usually only maids are dark skinned no, No offense meant ji Kali Stay indoors, don't swim, don't tan, it's OK That your Vit D levels drop to 4.75 Depression, stress fractures are a reasonable price for fair-er skin Melanin is a disease, there are treatments for it Kali Stick to gold jewellery, silver makes you darker Leave the diamonds to the porcelain Punjabis Don't wear white, don't wear black, don't wear blue, don't wear pink, Don't wear light colours, don't wear dark Don't wear pastels, don't wear warm colours, don't wear cold either Kali She who stands naked Wearing heads and blood Suffering no one Fangs are bared as are the talons Fulsome, fearsome Black of skin Revered worshipped adored Kali. --------- I wrote this for the talented, beautiful Catherin. She takes great pics and loves posting them on social media. Occasionally I find insensitive, colourist comments on her posts, which I had hoped would disappear in this post Millennial next generation. But Catherin deals with them beautifully, she completely ignores them. Something I need to learn." "I grew up thinking, nay, knowing that I was not good-looking, that I would never be considered good-looking and it was better that I studied hard and became smart. For only then would I stand a chance in life. I was told that I could take part in sports because, hey I didn't have to worry about tanning. It is very very hard for an outsider to conceptualise how deeply entrenched this notion is, that those dark of skin are less than that of those who have the 'good fortune' of having less melanin in their skin cells. I once saw a TV interview of a little girl no more than 4, she was asked why another little girl was her best friend, so the girl replied because she is fair. The audience laughed delightedly in understanding. How do we ever change this, lift this prejudice, which is entrenched in our DNA?" asks Sah, a resident of Mumbai, talking to indianexpress.com. "I want to claim the word Fair back. I want it to only mean the opposite of unfair. It should only stand for what it was intended- justice, equality, equitability," she quips.
