Being 'Dark skinned' in India

It's OK to be dark in INDIA-a Historical facts survey and interpretation.

These are loosely correlated facts hypothesizing a seemingly obvious fact.

Historical correlation of 'whiteness’ with purity and 'blackness' with filth seems like a conscious/ unconscious effort over our civilization/ culture. Every would-be mother, at least in the inner mind asks for a fairer child, every teenage girl in India wishes ' if she could be as fair as the Bollywood starlet', most mid20's girl's parents look for a ‘fair, handsome, financially stable' groom.

There is historically established hierarchy in Indian Hindu culture. The fairer complexion correlated with aristocracy and affluence and vice versa. The fair skinned benevolent gods always fighting darker skinned 'asura' (demons) in hind mythology.

In 'Padma Purana ' (Hindu religious text),Lord Shiva makes fun of Parvati (Lord Shiva' wife), then darker colored, she get's angry and finds inner strength and becomes fair/ gold colored. I am not arguing that Hindu scriptures are promoting color based profiling. Then again, there is 'Krishna' the powerful Hindu god with blue/black skin.  My personal interpretation is Hinduism evolved over ages in our Indian subcontinent. Various versions and interpretations lead to the evolution all the available Hindu manuscripts now. Thus the conflicts arise in spiritual concept between Valmiki's Ramayana  (in Sanskrit) and KambaRamayanam (in Tamil). Which ever version got more publicity influenced our understanding what is cool or not cool; even in skin color.

I think the British rule in India for almost a decade further compounded our 'color interpretations' as lighter color emerged as the symbol of power, superiority. The white colored ' British beauty' traveling in fan fare was identified as the culmination of pristine beauty. Thus the extreme eagerness of Indian women to be lighter skin, similar to our 'famously beautiful' colonizers.


This eagerness has been wonderfully exploited in Indian business world as 'fairness cream products' which is endorsed by stereotypical fair Indian beauties (mostly Bollywood starlets) as the secret to their 'beauty'. In the western world the fashion beauty industry stereotyped 'beauty' leading to 'eating disorders and cosmetic surgeries. In our part of the world historic concept of beauty is intertwined with religion, political past etc. The "marketability" in the marriage arena for an Indian woman clearly dictated by beauty which is strongly correlated to skin color, with darker bride will have to compensate for her physical shortcomings by paying a higher dowry (Illegal in India, but still common practice). In a world where beautiful people earn more than average looking people (Productivity or Discrimination? Giam Pietro Cipriani, Angelo Zago, 16 FEB 2011), the mix of skin color in the definition of beauty in Indian subcontinent makes it very hard for a darker colored Indian. Well……Our culture is still evolving.


Do check out  an interesting video about how skin color affects psyche. http://vimeo.com/16210769

Eat fish, or not?? hmmmm. well.....is it tasty?

I ate a lot of fish growing up. Fish was always a part our family diet, as they were readily available and relatively cheaper on coastal India where I grew up. In the book Survival of the Fattest, published in 2005, Dr. Cunnane speculates that it was the rich and secure shore-based diet (FISHYYYY!!) that fuelled and provided the essential nutrients to make our brains what they are today. This ‘Canada Research Chair in Brain Metabolism and Aging’ argues that shorelines provided essential brain boosting nutrients and minerals that launched Homo sapiens brains past their primate peers. Thus, the new age brain memory tablets you buy at the grocery store bear the name various fishes.

Then why warn nursing women, women who may become pregnant, and young children  against fish? Heavy metal poisoning………

For eg. Mercury poisoning.

Fish pick up methylmercury, a form of the element that binds to the protein in their bodies, from microorganisms in oceans and lakes. As big fish eat little fish, they absorb the methylmercury in their prey. Thus big, old fish such as swordfish, shark, and tuna carry more of the metal than salmon and shrimp. The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) published a list of heavy metal levels in fish, with the highest levels found in grouper, marlin, tilefish, swordfish and shark. The NRDC claims carp, mahi mahi, monkfish, skate and cod have lower levels of mercury, and that the lowest levels are found in butterfish, calamari, pollock, catfish, sole and talapia. Which makes sense, the lower level of food chain the fish belongs the less accumulation of heavy metals.

I think if you eat a large predatory fish eat it with a high fat diet. The heavy metals are stored in the body fat of humans. High fat diet will induce more bile secretion and will help in the excretion of any heavy metal.

Subsistence fishing

My family have a history of heart diseases and when it comes to a healthier heart, the benefits of eating fish usually outweigh the possible risks of exposure to contaminants. It’s been long recognized that the unsaturated fats in fish, called omega-3 fatty acids, appear to reduce the risk of dying of heart disease. Omega-3 fatty acids may decrease triglycerides, lower blood pressure, reduce blood clotting, boost immunity and improve arthritis symptoms, and in children may improve learning ability. Later I learned not all fish have healthy fatty acids. Tilapia and catfish supposedly have bad fatty acids. Who knew……

Just over 100 million tonnes of fish are eaten world-wide each year, providing two and a half billion people with at least 20 percent of their average per capita animal protein intake (FAO expert, Ichiro Nomura). Thus it is not bad idea to eat FISHhhhhh…….

What and how much fish should I eat

- At least two servings of omega-3-rich fish a week

-Eat smaller/ younger fish

- Fresh water fish like salmon (spends most time in freshwater) is a great option.

-Women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, breast feeding woman eat healthy fish in moderate quantity.