Phew… Obama, Hillary, Mc Cain, Sara, Change has come, Change can happen…
At least in my case, I was never as interested in the election process of another country as much I did this time. And that holds true for most of the population around the world. Even my six-year-old son knows who Obama is, maybe not in the relevance of him to USA. But he recognizes him as Obama on TV. I doubt he knows Manmohan Singh.
So what was so special about this guy Obama? I doubt if people other than the state of Illinois knew him in the USA. His administration capabilities were not something, which were, should I say ‘mentionable’. So why is it that he drew so much of attention all around the world? Why were so many people around the world vouching for him? Why was Oprah Winfrey, shedding tears for him? Even I sitting thousands of ‘miles’ away from the USA, and not having a voting right was in my thoughts supporting him. Why?
I’ve been pondering about this for quite a long time. I agree he is a good orator. But that most of the American public figures are. The speeches which he makes are definitely pre prepared which he doles out in his own fashion. After ticking off all these points, there’s only one thing that makes any sense to me. It’s his skin color. Is him being black gone to his advantage? Is it the overwhelming, deep, innate urge of the colored people of this world, which sees Obama as the picture of dominance of the Black skin over White skin through the most powerful post of this Globe?
The Color of the skin. Interesting topic. The dark color of the skin has from ages made the fair skinned people perceive them so differently. They call people from the African descent as ‘Black’ and this word has been widely accepted by the people themselves who are called so. What a mockery of humanity.
I, for having born in India am dark skinned. So should I be glad that I was not born in these countries ruled by the whites? Oh no, not at all. All my childhood I have been made aware of my skin color by my cousins, relatives, friends and sometimes by people whom I looked up to. There was always discrimination. I wondered why I was born with such a color when my cousins were so fair and because of which I guess they looked so good.
I did my primary schooling in Delhi. My North Indian friends used to call me ‘Kalia’ or ‘Madrasi’. According to them all dark colored people were from Madras or that all people from Madras were dark skinned. Girls in my community who are dark skinned find it difficult to find a match. I don’t think I am wrong if I say there is apartheid in my country too. Once in Germany, I tried shaking hands with a shopkeeper. Believe me, he refused to. He simply nodded his head with the utmost cold face possible.
So it’s natural that when I see a Mithun Chakroborthy, an Ajay Devgan, a Rajanikanth, I love what these people have achieved in an industry where looks do matter the most. Though I love Katrina Kaif for her looks, so do I like the dusky Nandita Das. The probable reason would be that I somewhere deep inside me associate myself with them, the color of their skin. There is a feeling of me grouping myself with the dark skinned and feel the elevation of their achievement as my own.
So, is it that all the colored people associated themselves with Obama for the most powerful post of the planet? In that case, the question arises as to whether he is eligible to be called a ‘Black’? He had a ‘white’ mother and a ‘black’ father. So, shall we call him half ‘black’?? Are the ‘Blacks’ discriminating against the ‘whites’? Is the world being polarized over the color of the skin, now that we already are over religion? Questions, more questions……
Hope and wish that we do stay as the United colors of this World.
At least in my case, I was never as interested in the election process of another country as much I did this time. And that holds true for most of the population around the world. Even my six-year-old son knows who Obama is, maybe not in the relevance of him to USA. But he recognizes him as Obama on TV. I doubt he knows Manmohan Singh.
So what was so special about this guy Obama? I doubt if people other than the state of Illinois knew him in the USA. His administration capabilities were not something, which were, should I say ‘mentionable’. So why is it that he drew so much of attention all around the world? Why were so many people around the world vouching for him? Why was Oprah Winfrey, shedding tears for him? Even I sitting thousands of ‘miles’ away from the USA, and not having a voting right was in my thoughts supporting him. Why?
I’ve been pondering about this for quite a long time. I agree he is a good orator. But that most of the American public figures are. The speeches which he makes are definitely pre prepared which he doles out in his own fashion. After ticking off all these points, there’s only one thing that makes any sense to me. It’s his skin color. Is him being black gone to his advantage? Is it the overwhelming, deep, innate urge of the colored people of this world, which sees Obama as the picture of dominance of the Black skin over White skin through the most powerful post of this Globe?
The Color of the skin. Interesting topic. The dark color of the skin has from ages made the fair skinned people perceive them so differently. They call people from the African descent as ‘Black’ and this word has been widely accepted by the people themselves who are called so. What a mockery of humanity.
I, for having born in India am dark skinned. So should I be glad that I was not born in these countries ruled by the whites? Oh no, not at all. All my childhood I have been made aware of my skin color by my cousins, relatives, friends and sometimes by people whom I looked up to. There was always discrimination. I wondered why I was born with such a color when my cousins were so fair and because of which I guess they looked so good.
I did my primary schooling in Delhi. My North Indian friends used to call me ‘Kalia’ or ‘Madrasi’. According to them all dark colored people were from Madras or that all people from Madras were dark skinned. Girls in my community who are dark skinned find it difficult to find a match. I don’t think I am wrong if I say there is apartheid in my country too. Once in Germany, I tried shaking hands with a shopkeeper. Believe me, he refused to. He simply nodded his head with the utmost cold face possible.
So it’s natural that when I see a Mithun Chakroborthy, an Ajay Devgan, a Rajanikanth, I love what these people have achieved in an industry where looks do matter the most. Though I love Katrina Kaif for her looks, so do I like the dusky Nandita Das. The probable reason would be that I somewhere deep inside me associate myself with them, the color of their skin. There is a feeling of me grouping myself with the dark skinned and feel the elevation of their achievement as my own.
So, is it that all the colored people associated themselves with Obama for the most powerful post of the planet? In that case, the question arises as to whether he is eligible to be called a ‘Black’? He had a ‘white’ mother and a ‘black’ father. So, shall we call him half ‘black’?? Are the ‘Blacks’ discriminating against the ‘whites’? Is the world being polarized over the color of the skin, now that we already are over religion? Questions, more questions……
Hope and wish that we do stay as the United colors of this World.
