Racism!

"Mirror mirror upon the wall, who is the fairest of all?". So asked the queen once. The mirror answered-"Thou, O Queen, art the fairest of all". The story though seems completely out of context here, has a very important message. For years now Indians have been cribbing about how racism has affected the way they work in foreign land. How they are called Paki and the discrimination they have to face because of their nationality. Stories of Shilpa Shetty facing racial discrimination filled the tabloids for weeks. Before we feel sorry for ourselves one more time, isn't it time we reflect if we are part of the same ilk. How many times have we laughed at a sardar joke, or mocked at the girls from the east as 'chinki', laughed at the accent of people from the south and cleverly assumed the next girl from the states as "forward going"? How many times have we labeled a girl laughing with a bunch of guys as a slut. The truth is we are all the same. We are always looking for the mirror that calls us the fairest. TV commercials promote fair skin for all and sundry. Anyone who is not fair is touted as ugly and needs a "Fair & Lovely" or "Fair & Handsome" to look presentable. We are obsessed with fair skin. We have zero tolerance towards anyone who is remotely different from us, look wise, accent wise, region wise. So why this cribbing when we get a taste of our own medicine. So the next time before you buy yourself that 'whiteness cream' ask yourself if it changes anything inside you. The next time you feel bad about being called a bloody Indian, think of how many Indians you abused as sardars or chinkis. Think about it! The mirror needs to answer differently this time. It needs a different question!