Racist, yes. As perimma says, to some extent definitely. Forget the colour of the people, it is not that. If it had been some Indian farmer dressed in a dhoti, with a "Manja Pai", would we have shown them around like this??? It does trigger the thought.
But then, I am not sure if it is the colour of theskin. When I went to US in 2001, and was traveling by bus to New Jersey to visti Kumar anna and family, a black lady was seated beside me. I was terrified, not because she was black, but because of the various stories I had heard about the kind of crime they get involved in. Whereas, while we were in SIngapore, Mohan and I came across a group of black men, but that did not trigger any such feeling in us. I think it also depends on what kind of surroundings we are in that influences our thoughts and actions. In fact, when I had gone to the US this time, I was very hesitant to talk to any white person in the office. Only because, I was scared that they are racists and they consider us Indians a few grades lower to them.
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RACISM ?
ReplyDeleteI do not think Gayathri's urge to speak to the Hollanders and satisfy their curiosity has a racist undercurrent or was born due to treating the white man as superior. Just that a few strangers seemed interested and they were not local folk would have made her want to satisfy their curiosity, if they appeared friendly. I imagine a few boys from say China looking on, she would have had the same urge.
I do not however deny that the tendency to treat the white man as superior which has been ingrained in Indians for centuries is still very much there.
Also, why are we happy if a newborn child is 'fair'; the first question is whether the child is fair. Why ?
-Ramakrishnan.