Dark Is Beautiful, Own It With Pride: Madam Secretary Leads The Way

This serial set in rural heartland has been deservedly hailed as a charming social satire. One of the themes is the deep-seated bias for fair skin. The show poignantly explores the pain of one of the characters, a dark-skinned young woman who feels her talent and accomplishments are perpetually overshadowed by her skin tone.

- SANDHYA MENDONCA

Last March, I asked in this column ‘Can you love the skin you’re in?’ and the most welcome news this year comes from Kerala. The Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan grabbed the spotlight firmly by speaking out against the bias against dark skin and owning her complexion with remarkable courage and eloquence.

‘Why should black be vilified?’ she asked in a post on social media and answered poetically, delivering a profound statement that resonates far beyond mere personal defence. ‘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 kajal, the promise of rain.’

Her powerful words emerged from a deeply personal context. The trigger was a comment that compared her ‘black’ tenure with her predecessor’s ‘white’ one; and the fact her husband was the previous chief secretary didn’t make the situation any less complicated. She revealed that for seven months, she had been subjected to subtle digs about her job, but had become inured to the constant commentary. However, the latest troll affected her most profoundly because it touched upon her dark skin – a matter she’s been sensitive about since childhood.