THEY VENT THEIR IRE AGAINST ‘BLACK AS INFERIOR’

Ezeugo Nnmadi Lawrence He was unprepared for the racist onslaught in the ‘land of Mahatma Gandhi’. Shattered, the student from Africa says he doesn’t have any good memories to carry home from India.

Abhay Deol The actor is dismayed at how devastatingly racist Indians can be with each other and feels our advertising preaches that we will get a better job, a happier marriage, and more beautiful children if we are fair.

Dhrubo Jyoti HT writer who grew up in Andhra Pradesh ridicules the way our movies and television tell us that dark skin is not only ugly but also a sign of dereliction — the mindset that lets us use “kaala” as an all-weather insult.

Saeed Khan Lecturer of Near East and Asian Studies in the US feels Indian attitudes toward African-Americans seem to be as much about how they perceive themselves on the colour bar as how they see African-Americans.

Alana Golmei She works to end racist attacks against people from Northeast and. feels they are treated well only if thought to be from South Korea, China or Japan. Stereotypes continue even after death.

Dipankar Gupta Retired JNU professor defies the Aryan notion saying it is worth noting the rather uncomfortable fact that the African haplotype is frequently found in the genetic makeup of North Indians.

Anna MM Vetticad North Indians bombard light-skinned ‘Madrasis’ with the inexplicable question, “How can you be south Indian?” and are cruel to ‘kallus’ among their own, feels Malayali-born journalist in Delhi.

Harry Stevens HT staffer from the US admits his country is as racist as they come. He is puzzled about Indian hospitality towards white foreigners and absolutely stumped by the hostility towards black ones.