I thought I would share my last post to Swathi in our dialogue that was sparked by the discussion of fair-skinned Bollywood stars. Even if makeup does account for the fact that the stars all appear so fair, I think this says a lot about today's Indian culture. Things are going in a good direction -- color issues are certainly less now than they were 50 or 100 years ago -- but those of us parenting dark brown adopted children know the sad reality. Both here in the US and back in India, Indian people look negatively on darker color. And the US is not a color-blind society, either. Many of the older ICHILD members probably recall my story about the time "NIGGERS" was spray-painted on my front steps. My children were young at the time, and it was such a shock that this could happen in an upscale, liberal-minded New Jersey bedroom community. Here how Swathi and I ended our discussion:---------------------------- Dear Swathi, Thanks for your nice note. My experience with India is both old and new -- I was there 4 times last year and while I lived there fulltime only in '73-'74, I have visited 20+ times since then for extended periods. I have probably spent more time in India during the past 10 years than most Indians here. At least, that's what my Indian friends and relatives tell me! You may be right about Aishwarya -- perhaps I was confusing her with Manisha. She could be Bant (Tulu speaking) but I know dozens and dozens of Bants and she looks nothing like them so I am dubious. My Indian sister is married to a Bant and I have been to so many Bant weddings and other family events in the Mangalore/Udupi area. There has been no one even remotely resembling Aishwarya at these occasions! As for racism vs. color consciousness, I think that it all depends on the definition one uses. Although you provide genuine evidence to the contrary, I think that race and caste and class are all correlated to a degree in many parts of India. And if you asked a dark-brown Sudra or Harijan in a small village in Rajasthan or Bihar or Bengal or UP whether they had been discriminated against because of their color, I think you would be very surprised. Taking a conventional definition of racism, I would be hard-pressed to say that it went away when the British departed, because it existed LONG before the British came. Based on my study of ancient and modern history of the area, British rule exacerbated existing color consciousness and racism but it definitely did not come or leave with them. Over the 35 years I've known India, there have been massive changes, but they are mostly centered among the educated classes in the cities, which is your family hearth. In the rural areas and particularly in the less-educated north things are very, very different. A small shade of color can mean everything in terms of how much dowry must be paid, whether a good husband can be found, whether the bride's in-laws treat her with respect, etc. And of course all of this is correlated with other factors as well. I think there is still racism in America, and based on the same definition I believe the same about India. You may not have experienced it, but you have lived in a modern, urban, educated setting. For you, there is no racism and I accept that. But for the millions in villages and urban bustees, things are very different. I do accept and believe that the progressive affirmative-action reforms that have created set-asides for the underclasses in India in schools, professions, government service, etc. have made a big difference. The two pieces of evidence for that are that more and more groups of people are trying to get themselves classified as scheduled tribes/castes, and those who are not eligible for the set-asides have become quite militant (as white males have done here regarding affirmative action, saying that now THEY are being discriminated against). I think that our two points of view reflect our own backgrounds and experiences and in many ways are equally valid. India is a country of contrasts and there is no single truth. That's why I use words like "correlation" and would suggest you might want to avoid words like "never". Until you've gone among the ordinary people in small villages (where most Indians live), how can you possibly says that racism NEVER occurs? All in all, this has been a very enjoyable exchange and I thank you for respecting my views as I respect yours. Though I may be a "ghori", India is my second home and its culture is my second culture, and I love Bharat Mata beyond all words. Chris F************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]To send your message to the ICHILD mailing list, your email goes to: ichild@yahoogroups.comYour ICHILD founder/administrator: Beth PKichild-owner@yahoogroups.com Yahoo! Groups Links<*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ichild/<*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional<*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ichild/join (Yahoo! ID required)<*> To change settings via email: mailto:ichild-digest@yahoogroups.com mailto:ichild-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ichild-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
