"I need to own my blackness." This is how Dr Sarada Muraleedharan, the Chief Secretary of Kerala, begins an unusually personal note she put on Facebook on 25 March. It was in response to a ‘hurtful comment’ that she had to face referring to her skin tone. “Heard an interesting comment yesterday on my stewardship as chief secretary – that it is as black as my husband라이브 바카라 was white," she writes.
Sarada Muraleedharan was appointed as the Chief Secretary of Kerala following the retirement of her husband, V. Venu, on August 31, 2024. It is the first time in Kerala's history—and possibly a rare instance in India—that a husband and wife have consecutively held the position of Chief Secretary.
Sarada Muraleedharan made the Facebook post in the morning of 25 March but later deleted it as she was flustered by the flurry of responses. However, she reposted it again as she was told by friends and well wishers that there were things that needed to be discussed.
“Why did I want to call this particular one out? I was hurt, yes. But then these last seven months have been a relentless parade of comparisons with my predecessor, and I have become quite inured. It was about being labelled black (with that quiet sub text of being woman), as if that were something to be desperately ashamed of. Black is as black does. Not just black the colour, but black the ne’er do good, black the malaise, the cold despotism, the heart of darkness,” writes Sarada Muraleedharan in the post that went viral within a few hours.
“But why should black be vilified? Black is the all pervasive truth of the universe. Black is that which can absorb anything, the most powerful pulse of energy known to humankind. It is the colour that works on everyone, the dress code for office, the lustre of evening wear, the essence of kajol, the promise of rain,” she writes.
Her words reflect the agony that she went through during childhood for having dark skin tone. “As a four year old I apparently asked my mother whether she could put me back in her womb and bring me out again, all white and pretty. I have lived for over 50 years buried under that narrative of not being a colour that was good enough.” She says she learned the lessons of prettiness in black from her children, who glorified their black heritage, and who kept finding beauty where she had noticed none.
Sarada Muraleedharan's Facebook post invoked a tremendous response expressing support and solidarity. Sharing her Facebook post, V D Satheeshan, the opposition leader, wrote that every word in her post was heartrending. “Salute Sharada, I had a mother who was black in colour,” he said in the post.
“This is the reality in our country. People are discriminated based on caste and skin colour. This is a widespread issue, although caste discrimination is unique to India. Racism, however, is present globally” said K Radhakrishnan, CPI M leader and Member of Parliament. He further noted that people typically become aware of this discrimination only when it affects them directly, and we need to recognise that it라이브 바카라 not just a personal matter, but a societal one.
Dr Malavika Binni, a scholar of History and Assistant Professor at Kannur University, holds the view that the kind of discrimination being practiced in India is very unique. “In the flurry of responses in support to Sarada Muraleedharan라이브 바카라 post, we see lot of people saying that this is racism and it is a universal thing. It is not. The kind of aversion to blackness in India is rooted in caste. This discrimination based on skin colour has been very much in existence in India even before the colonial era, which is apparently related to caste,” she said.
Dinu Veyil, a young Dalit scholar and the founder of DHISHA Foundation-– an NGO providing pro bono legal support to the marginalised-– emphasises that discrimination toward blackness has long existed in Indian culture and tradition. "Black is demonised in our Puranas. The Asuras are black, and the Devas are fair-skinned. We can see this discrimination in our mythical stories and culture."
Even celebrities facing body shaming based on skin colour is nothing new. Last year, RLV Ramakrishnan, a celebrity dancer and a Dalit who has PhD in Mohiniyattam, was subjected to severe body shaming by another dancer, Sathyabhama. She said "beauty is essential for Mohiniyattam", and though she did not mention Ramakrishnan라이브 바카라 name, it was clear whom Sathyabhama was referring to. This created a storm on social media with demands of an apology from Sathyabhama, going to the extent of bullying her. Dr RLV Ramakrishnan was later appointed as an assistant professor at Kalamandalam, the university for performing arts and music.
Dr Malavika Binni observes that many of those declaring solidarity with Sarada Muraleedharan could also turn out to be hypocrites who look only for fair-skinned women as wives. "Everyone wants only fair skinned girls to marry. They put it as a matter of choice,” says Malavika.
Jaya, an artist with ‘Kalakakshi’, a Kochi-based group of artists, undertook a 100-day performance in 2016 with her body covered in black grease to confront the deep-seated colour prejudice and casteism. Jaya resorted to this unique form of protest as she was enraged by the suicide of Rohit Vemula, a young Dalit scholar in Hyderabad. Jaya, who was a teacher at a dance school in Kochi, also performed classical dance in the same costume. According to Jaya she wanted to question the notion of fairness as being essential for dancers. Jaya라이브 바카라 performance invoked multiple responses, both positive and negative . Those who raised their eyebrows at her performance said that Jaya, who is fair skinned, should not have "acted like a black woman" and should not have represented their cause. However, Jaya received widespread support too.
Sarada Muraleedharan said that she was happy to see the immense support extended to her. She said that the intense discussions happening over her Facebook post was something unique about Kerala. Though the aversion towards blackness is deep rooted in society, the discussions also show that there is a strong resistance against such prejudices as well.
