Unfair fairness creams..!!

The day seemed blurry as I started, the result of my half sleep mode. The day seemed promising,long and hard day. It took me great efforts to build pace as I was still thinking on the lines to beat it and go back to the badly needed snooze.
The regular seven minutes walk brought me to the station.The platform was crowded, people hustling down the train, I hurried down to my usual compartment as I had already missed one. The next train was after five mins which I presumed as ten mins because its Indian railways and it’s a regular case of trains running late. The announcement came, the train arriving on platform no. 1 for Virar is running late. I said, Holy shit!! I will be screwed if I don’t reach in time as always I tend to reach office after the reporting time. The train arrived, my habit of standing on footboard made me stand on the corridor, pushing, pulling and finally a woman with a child got pushed and started cursing with chosen abuses at the passengers departing, but that day I creeped inside the train passage and stood below the roof fan which was guzzling out warm air.

I gazed in the compartment as usual and I noticed a boy, he seemed 20-21 years old, brown in color , lean and well dressed, a black coloured bag in hand, tagged along with a friend and was busy gibbering to his friend  and from amidst his animated conversation he removed a tube, pressed its nozzle and the blob of white cream popped in his hand he spread the white cream on his hand and started massaging his face. I suppose it was Fair and Lovely fairness cream.  In front of that boy was a middle-aged woman, talking as softly as she could to her hubby and the chat suddenly came to a standstill and both gave an awry look to the guy they were amazed by this unaccustomed act. And she ensured that she doesn't spill out the beans by laughing her heart out and so did I. 
This little incident made me think how Indian Men are conscious about their dark complexion. When i googled about Fairness cream market in India for Men I came across a huge disbelief -500 Crore Rupees and in South India the market has grown by 35% for men and mere 15% for women. One of the website which is into match-making business had 3 primary questions on the form:
1) Name
2)Caste
3)Fairness.
I was still coming to terms about this crap and as i scrolled down i came across a research expert who said -
"Parents, bride and grooms don't even reach up to the column on educational qualifications or job if the partner is not fair."
Does that mean a guy pursuing higher studies has zero value if he is dark? A girl is judged mere by her fair complexion?? 


Be it a college goer or a corporate person, none have been left untouched by this grooming fad with a keen desire to look fair. Indian cosmetic companies and marketers have strongly hooked on to this opportunity.
The media has played a major role in pushing men in this direction, as ads promoting fairness creams seek to portray that dark skinned guys lack confidence and are not as successful as the fair-skinned. These ads are pointed needles and penetrates hard in the minds to the Dark complexioned Indian Men.


GROW UP INDIAN MEN... Black Is Beautiful and I really mean it..!!