Get that Right!

I didn’t know Shilpa would create a rage around the world and outrage in Indian media. Modesty blasé? And that too for all the wrong reasons (not for her, but for the politicos).

Racism has hit the headlines pretty frequently these days under the intense media glare. First it was Dean Jones. Then Hershelle Gibbs. Now, the Big Brother Show and its inmates (the latest report says that Channel 4 has taken a stance that the comments on its show weren’t racial).

Dean Jones was definitely wrong. He hit the pits by calling the South African batsman Hashim Amla, ‘terrorist’. That was surely uncalled for, even for jest on live television. But what Gibbs did (calling the unruly Pakistani fans, ‘animals’, overheard on the stumps mike) cannot be called racist.

If what’s happened on Big Brother is racism then there’s racism that’s happening all around us in India most of the time. Most North Indians cannot pronounce the South Indians’ names (unless the names are Sanskritised). Every South Indian is a ‘Madrasi’. Brahmans have this holier than thou attitude along with the feeling that they are Aryans while the rest of the population is not and hence inferior to them. The politically empowered Dalits have a chip on their shoulders. To a Muslim every non-Muslim is a ‘Kaafir’. Caste remarks and slurs are commonplace. What the anti-reservationist camp did in Delhi (sweeping the streets etc) could surely be termed as racist?

If racism is an issue, then Indians are the biggest culprits (may be other South Asians too, but I’m yet to interact with Pakistanis and Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans). MOST Indians DO admire the fair skin and prefer it over the dark skin. The bias finds its expression the most in the sale of fairness creams (I don’t know if a multinational like Garnier markets fairness creams in any other market). It finds expression in Bollywood songs where even the dark-skinned Kajol will have lyrics describing her as, “gori gori..” I have seen how Indians try to make fun of the Africans touring (or studying in) India. They aren’t even considered human by many Indians. When such is the state of affairs, what are we making an issue about?

My sympathies are with Ms. Shetty. But didn’t she know what she was to expect in a show like Big Brother? She jolly-well would’ve watched umpteen episodes to learn/hone those skills to survive it. Her mother in an interview appeared quite composed. She also made a statement that kind of validates my thoughts. That Shilpa knew what she was getting into.

The world’s probably never going to learn to be non-racial. If a common man turns out to be non-racial he also would turn out to be non-judgmental. That’s assuming the heights of universal brotherhood. Racism will stay regardless of the fights, laws and awareness campaigns. What’s required is affirmative action to ensure those that are subjected to racism will retaliate in a positive manner.