Punjab Notes: Politics of colour: a black-and-white narrative?

Byline: Mushtaq Soofi

There are several things certain people happen to possess not because of their personal choice but rather due to accident of birth and yet the same things are considered their assets. One such thing is colour of one's skin. Children have no option to choose their skin colour and yet their life in future depends on it especially in a racially diverse society.

Let's not forget that in human history racial diversity is the rule not exception. So it's universal phenomenon. But let's narrow our focus and briefly look at this issue in the context of our traditions.

The well-known caste system still prevalent in the subcontinent was originally called 'Vrana'. Rigidly fixed hierarchical division of society was based on colour. Varna/ Varn etymologically means colour.

In our Punjabi we still have this word and its multiple derivatives. We pronounce it as Van [colour] with R dropped. Kanakvanna [of the colour of wheat], van svanna[multi-coloured/ diverse] and van savann [diversity].

That division into immutable castes was based on colour is rooted in the historical clash between sophisticated Harappa people and primitive pastoral Aryans who arrived here, now historians assert, in waves way back in time. People of Indus valley were dark-skinned while incoming Aryan had fair complexion. Colour became a major marker of identity. Aryans led by warrior Indra vanquished the locals called Dasa or Dasyu. The victor wrote the history. Let's see what the Rig-Veda says on the question of colour. 'Indra, the slayer of Vrittra, destroyer of cities, has scattered the Dasyu [hosts] sprang from the black womb (Rig-Veda, Book 2)'. 'The thunderer who bestowed on his friends fields, bestowed the sun, bestowed the waters (Rig-Veda, Book, 1)'. 'Indra protected in battle the Aryan worshipper, subdued the lawless for Manu, he conquered the black skin (Rig-Veda, Book 2)'. 'Black skin is impious [Rig-Veda, Book 2)'. It's proved beyond a shadow of doubt that black and white emerged as two ends of social spectrum, an expression of perpetual tussle between two diverse groups. As the white group became dominant their rivals' colour came to assume horrid new meanings extraneous to original content of the word.

In the conditions of Ayran political and social domination, the dark or black colour of the subjugated on the one hand became associated with lack of beauty, slovenliness and ugliness and on the other with impiety, criminal-mindedness and sinfulness...