Thread by @sreeparna_c_

Thread: I seldom post about anything personal, but I am incandescent with rage. My 4.5-year-old at school is being bullied and called names for being dusky. #colourism is a serious problem in India- she doesn't want to go to school because she was told she is "dark & scary"

This is not the first time- 6 months ago we brought this to the teacher's attention. This is one of the most expensive, private, Montessori, alternative schools in Pune. We shared a copy of @Lupita_Nyongo's Sulwe and asked the teachers to address this issue.

@Lupita_Nyongo For those who haven't read #Sulwe, it's a beautiful story about colourism in an African nation. Very similar to #India where a darker skinned person is called names. School is no longer a psychological space envrionment for my toddler and from loving school she's refusing to go.

Why should I bear the burden of incompetent #parenting? Children are picking this at home because of entrenched #colourbias. It doesn't help we are in Pune and her school is full of lighter-skinned kids.

Tried everything mentioning dark brown is the colour of everything we love - dark chocolate, coffee, browned dosais. Nothing, nothing helps. I told her brown makes you you, makes you special. The little one's heart-breaking reply "I don't want to be special. Special makes me sad"

And for those who are wondering, she is getting it much worse from the boys than the girls. She said "the boys make fun of me, not the girl". The #gendered nature of #colourism coupled with #entitlement boggles the mind. I am at my wits' end.

As a country, we worship #fairness. And for those who are going to blame the British, please don't. Colour bias was entrenched through #colonialism but exists in our epics and ancient texts as well.

I expose her to as much #alternativemedia as possible. We got a #moana doll- she looks a lot like Moana to have a doll that #represents her. But if she is being bullied and she hasn't even reached 5, I am despondent thinking about what the future holds for her.