Unacknowledged Racism in India
By Navya Goel
As we stayed shut inside our houses to protect ourselves from the spread of coronavirus, the world brought in front of our eyes injustices that often went unseen in the daily course of life during what we might call normal times.
One of the highlights of the issues brought to our attention was the gruesome and instituitionalised murder of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer. This incident sparked a number of protests in the US and worldwide, bringing to the forefront the horrors of centuries-long racial discrimination against the Black community in the USA and around the world and the dangerously growing white supremacy.
Even though the word Racism is more commonly used to describe discrimination against people of color, it is not limited to this definition. Racism can curtail discrimination towards people of different cultural identities and groups, appearances, occupation and beliefs as well.
From the beginning of the pandemic we have witnessed growing hostility towards our fellow east asians and the chinese in particular. Anti-Asian rhetoric has been portrayed on various social media platforms such as twitter, tiktok and facebook and of course by none other than Donald trump, by calling the corona virus the “ chinese virus” and acting disrespectfully towards an asian journalist, when asked questions about his brilliant handling of covid-19 in the country.
Looking closer at home( India), most of us Indians would think that we cannot be racist as we ourselves are people of color and diverse identity but actually that is not true. Racism and xenophobia are quite prevalent phenomenons in our society too.
Starting with the freshly heightened prejudice against the north-east indians due to Covid-19, its noted that Appearance and facial features play an important role in the social life and treatment one receives from people around oneself in india as well. North easterners during the pandemic , have been referred to with several names including “ coronavirus” and have been thrown slurs at for nothing but their physical appearance. In many areas the north easterners have also been threatened and asked to return to China,they have been denied treatment and often asked questions like “ are you from china?”. They are often called names like “momos” or “korean” or whatever terms that can be given a derogatory tone But these words are not minted recently. They existed from long ago, primarily because most tribes and communities of pre-Independence, pre-British times lived an isolated life content with their remoteness and this pandemic has only given the racism against them a violent turn. These words might not seem offensive or provocative to many but it questions their identity and nationality and goes on to show disacceptance on the part of their fellow country men. While these outbursts are blatant representations of skewed power relations, they are part of a larger, more permanent structure, which has existed for much longer. The disregard for the plight the northeastern community faces is reflected in the kinds of State policies, the lack of redressal mechanisms or even institutional acknowledgement of their particular struggles. These small instances of casual racism have led to development of systemic racism and caused both physical and mental harm to the community. The north easterners are not just judged on their appearance but also on their choices such as having tattoos through which they are presumed to be drug addicts and many times the north eastern women have been considered prostitutes for similar reasons. The newly released “Axone” on netflix, also brings to light the struggles faced by the northeasterners through the theme of food habits. These facts point out to an important learning that even though racism towards north easterners perhaps may not exist on a full blown scale, it certainly exists on individual level to a great extent.
Going further, the Indian obsession with fair skin and simultaneous dislike towards brown and dark skin is a paradox worth paying attention to. In the wake of violent protests against racism worldwide and the severe backlash on its fair-skin promoting marketing campaign all these years, the global consumer giant hindustan unilever announced that it will rebrand it’s skin lightening cream “ Fair and lovely” to “Glow and lovely”, not realising this doesn’t quite solve the issue being addressed.
In India, the notion of fair skin being superior came into existence during colonial times and has seeped into all aspects of life. Having fair skin is not only considered advantageous but also desirable especially in marriages. Until recently several matrimonial sites provided indian users with a skin color filter in order to select the right bride or groom.these notions also take root in portrayals and beauty standards set by the media and fashion industry that cause not only mental distress but also also hamper self-esteem to a great level. Many people are obsessed with trying out products that make them look “fairer” to conform to these illogical beauty standards and many often find themselves struggling as having a darker skin somehow puts them at a social disadvantage. People of darker skin tones are usually perceived as low, unacceptable or not presentable and not “attractive enough” even though Indians themselves majorly have darker skin tones. This Prejudice can be seen in practice when north indians come across south indians or associate darker skin tones with south indians or in their treatment towards the african americans and nigerians who are presumed to be “bad influences” and “ drug dealers “. They are labelled with various terms such as “kallu” ( meaning black) and not given the opportunities and social acceptance they thought they would get in a diverse and so called “accepting indian society”. The indian obsession with fair skin and dislike towards darker skin tones go on to show the lasting impact the west has had on our country and continues to have, by shaping not just its beauty standards but also its markets, jobs and social behavioral practices.
Lastly let's look at the old, infamous and still prevalent caste system of india. It finds its roots in notions of “purity” and “pollution” determined by the upper castes, guided by the hindu religion.
Caste system divides communities on the basis of availability of resources, occupations and social position and leads to differential and disrespectful treatment of the ones that come below in the hierarchy. The Hindu sociocultural system was traditionally divided into castes that were exclusive, hereditary, and endogamous. They were also ranked and unequal and thus appeared to have many of the characteristics of “race.” But the complex caste system was not based primarily on skin colour, as castes included people of all physical variations.Over the years the caste system has evolved to incorporate groups outside the prescribed ones and has also dissolved in terms of intensity in comparison to what it used to be in earlier times. Even though there is awareness and progress on getting rid of the system in urban areas. The caste system matters greatly to several communities that include many from the educated and the rich of metropolitan cities and the rural neighbourhoods. Many times it's seen that they are judged on their appearance and despite the abolition of untouchability, an informal way of reinforcing the practice has been seen in certain scenarios . For instance, treatment of servants and helpers. The caste system has caused many minority communities to face not just economic disadvantages but also social disadvantages. It has fueled violence against and between these communities; caused trauma and loss of life; led to a fight for basic rights and equal treatment and has stamped their lives with a long and hard struggle. Such racism is often justified in the name of god and in a society like ours it's a weapon to mobilize and influence thousands. The caste system in India is so deep rooted that an overview such as this, is not enough to explain its complexity and problematic nature.
When people of such a diverse country often unsee and let go of the obvious racism in their country or choose to not acknowledge it, one is compelled to think about the depth of these issues that continue to survive and are likely to become more prominent with the ever growing diversity and disparities as a result of development and technological advancement. Racism in India is a problem that not only needs more research and scholarly study but also more attention. It's imperative that people start recognising and analysing their own behavior and prejudices before jumping on to the band wagon and shouting support for the black community in the west whilst mistreating them in their own country.The focus is to acknowledge that racism is of the mind and not skin or any feature and oppose racism from level 0 that is individual, following up to community, then one’s own country and then the rest of the world. It's important that indians accept their own skin color as attractive and desirable and its time they act on opposition to caste system and discrimination against any group based on stereotypes and prejudices as it only leads to instability, creation of more division and unwarranted struggles for those communities.