Kerala Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan calls out colour, gender bias
She grew up feeling inferior due to her dark complexion, a feeling that persisted until her children helped her embrace that 'black is beautiful', she wrote
Kerala Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan has shared her views on the colour and gender bias she says she has endured throughout her life, and how it still persists in society. This has sparked off a discussion on social media on the issue, with support pouring in from diverse quarters.
In a heartfelt Facebook post, Muraleedharan reflected on how she grew up feeling inferior due to her dark complexion, a feeling that persisted until her children helped her embrace the belief that black is beautiful.
Muraleedharan, who succeeded her husband V Venu as Chief Secretary in September 2024, shared that someone recently made a comment comparing her leadership to his. “It is as black as [my] husband’s was white," she recalled them saying.
Also read: India advancing in gender equality; social norms, safety issues remain barriers: UN women officials
Hurt by the comment, Muraleedharan put up a Facebook post about it but later deleted it because she was "flustered by the flurry of responses".
Diverse reactions
"I am reposting it because certain well-wishers said that there were things that needed to be discussed. I agree. So here goes, once again," she said in her post, which garnered over 1,000 reactions and has been commented upon and shared hundreds of times.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, VD Satheesan, shared her post with the comment — "Salute dear Sarada Muraleedharan. Every word you have written is heart-touching. It deserves to be discussed. I too had a dark-skinned mother." Muraleedharan, while not naming who made that comment, said that she wanted to call this particular instance out, as she was hurt by it."
Why vilify black?
Muraleedharan further questioned why black was vilified when it was the "all pervasive truth of the universe".
Black can absorb anything, is the most powerful pulse of energy known to humankind and is a dress colour that works for everyone — be it office or evening wear, she added.
(With agency inputs)