Child Labor Increases in India During the Pandemic

Child labor in India has always been prevalent, but due to the pandemic the numbers are at an all-time high.

Photo courtesy of Vignesh S.

India has always had a large number of child laborers. In 2019, 152 million children were working. In the last two years, there has been an increase of 8 million children to the workforce. There is a great risk that this new generation will be academically displaced.

Before the pandemic, being in school protected children from child labor. However, with most families out of work or working to get by, the most vulnerable have to pay the cost: children. Children are often working 16 hour days in inhumane conditions. There are many contributing factors to this issue, the largest being that a third of the Indian population is living under the poverty line. With families working and narrowly making ends meet, families may feel they have no other choice but to send their children to work. Another factor is the country’s high illiteracy rate of 287 million people. Children who do not get a basic education will become illiterate adults, making them a target for underpaying jobs that creates an intergenerational cycle of poverty within the family. 

The states where child laborers are most prevalent are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, where over half of the country’s children work. Uttar Pradesh in northern India is the state with the highest number of child laborers,  20 percent of children work in the silk industry and child laborers work in textile factories making garments for big companies. Gap was once in the headlines when someone discovered children working in the shops. Many of the child laborers were there due to their families selling them. Taking swift action, Gap responded and said, “the factory was being run by a subcontractor who was hired in violation of Gap’s policies, and none of the products made there will be sold in its stores.” Additionally, the spokesman for Gap Bill Chandler told The Associated Press, “Under no circumstances is it acceptable for children to produce or work on garments.” Since then Gap decided to stand up against child laborers and stated on their website that they would be “removing young workers from the facility.”

Children will work all kinds of jobs from carpet manufacturing, farming, brick making and gem extracting/polishing to selling cigarettes on the streets for the tobacco industry. Indian law prohibits children under the age of 14 to work and teens from age 14-18 to do any work that is considered hazardous. Nonetheless, most go unnoticed due to lack of enforcement of the law. Companies that turn a blind eye to this issue will oftentimes not recognize the child’s labor. Children will be forced to work long hours with no compensation or very little compensation. It has been reported that a child can make as little as 52 cents a day, if they are paid at all. They are frequently abused physically, verbally or sexually. Sexual exploitation in India is widespread, with 1.2 million children involved in prostitution. 

The mental and physical effects of this arduous and traumatic experience have consequences. Exposed children may experience mental health issues, causing a disruption in their emotional development. Many psychiatric disorders can stem from child labor, for example, depression, mood disorder, attachment issues, psychogenic seizures, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse. The physical effects include but are not limited to exposure to toxic substances, working in extreme temperatures, malnutrition, sleep deprivation and death. The mental and physical toll it takes on the child will be long term if it is not dealt with. 

According to one estimate, more than 20 percent of India’s economy is dependent on children. This is a large financial burden on the hands of young people who should be exploring and playing, nurtured in their formative years, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The government’s accountability is key to move forward and to bring change to an already impacted generation. The laws that protect children need to be enforced and further tightened. 

The extreme poverty that has affected India is another root cause of child labor. According to Humanium, a organization that defends children’s rights, this is the primary reason children are falling victim to child labor. Their need to grow up before their time and help feed their impoverished family is only a momentary fix. This will impact their future and the future generations that will come after them. 

To Get Involved:

Global March is an organization that seeks to eliminate child labor. Their mission is to ensure free access to education. To learn more about Global March click here. 

To support the children of India through Global March click here.

Jenn Sung 

www.jennwanders.com

Jenn is a Communications Studies graduate based in Los Angeles. She grew up traveling with her dad and that is where her love for travel stems from. You can find her serving the community at her church, Fearless LA or planning her next trip overseas. She hopes to be involved in international humanitarian work one day.

3 Asian Theatrical Traditions

The cinema may be the world’s most prominent entertainment, but recorded film screenings cannot match the liveliness of performing theater. Learn about three theatrical traditions beloved by their Asian audiences for their craftsmanship and cultural significance.  

Stage Theatre. AndyRobertsPhotos. CC BY 2.0.

Theater is a unique art in its ability to elicit both laughter and tears within the same showing. Throughout these three Asian nations the stage is a place where performers can bring imaginary worlds to life, or inspire their audiences to better their own.  

1. Japan’s Rakugo

Rakugo. Isabelle + Stephanie Galley. CC BY 2.0.

Rakugo (fallen words) showcases a storyteller’s skill to enthrall their audience without the use of any costumes, scenery or special effects. Rakugo was developed during Japan’s Edo Period (1603-1868) by Buddhist priests who recounted dramatic tales to illustrate the impermanence of life and the sufferings elicited by materialistic attachment. Soon non-religious performers regaled crowds with parodied interpretations of those parables. A specialized sect of storytellers has emerged since, termed the rakugoka, who rely upon improvisation, exaggeration and, most critically, wordplay for their performances. A rakugoka presents upon the spartan kōza stage while dressed in traditional Japanese garb, and has only a sensu (paper fan) and a tenugui (hand towel) as props to aid them. With pantomime, voice and facial expressions the rakugoka will narrate one of 300 stories inspired by the realities of ordinary people.

The stories of rakugo are structured as back-and-forth dialogues between a set of archetypal characters and generally culminate in a funny climax. Popular character archetypes include cunning tricksters, miserly merchants, arrogant authorities and kaidan (ghosts or other apparitions). Each narration ends with an raku (fall), a humorous linguistic twist which serves as a punch line for the whole performance. Rakugo is analogous to a one-man show of sit-down comedy. 

2. India’s Nukkad Natak

Nukkad Natak. DLF PUBLIC SCHOOL, INDIA. CC BY 2.0.

From universities to slums throughout India, nukkad natak (street drama) serves as a medium of entertainment as well as social commentary. India has a rich heritage of theater which traces back centuries, but nukkad natak was shaped very recently among the country’s schools and streets. In the 1980s, left-wing grassroots activists started to put on plays for the lay public to highlight major social and political issues. Nukkad natak grew especially popular among college students who identified an outlet through which they could express their unacknowledged emotions and views. Nukkad natak has since become a channel for communication and information among the uneducated masses. 

Without any audiovisual equipment or cosmetic crew professionals nukkad natak troupes are forced to capitalize their bodies to the fullest. The troupers’ voices vary in pitch and volume as they undertake in constant physical motion. Troupes will not shy away from controversial scenes like sexual assault but will act them out publicly to provoke emotions. Some troupes dedicate their performances towards the portrayal of exemplary civic behavior. Even India’s private sector recognizes nukkad natak’s enormous influence on public society; some multinational corporations sponsor their own performances to advertise their products.   

3. Indonesia’s Wayang Kulit

Yogyakarta, Wayang Kulit. Arian Zwegers. CC BY 2.0. 

Although its origins are disputed to date, there is no debate as to the renown wayang kulit (shadow leather) holds today in Indonesia and neighboring countries. Intricately detailed leather puppets are deftly maneuvered by a dhalang (puppeteer) between a light source and a blank screen to portray a story via shadow. Performances feature plots derived from a bevy of sources, ranging from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana or Mahabharat to the East Javanaese Prince Panji cycle. 

A show of wayang kulit may carry on through the night for eight hours and is usually accompanied by a gamelan bronze orchestra. A single performance may entail the use of hundreds of puppets, all of whom are designed with utmost faithfulness to visual symbolism. Puppets portraying noble heroes, for example, are crafted in accordance with the Javanese ideal of male beauty: slender build, long and pointed nose and eyes shaped like soya beans. A puppet’s colors represent characteristics; gold indicates dignity whereas white is the color of youth.

RELATED CONTENT:

Featured
VIDEO: Mexico’s 600-Year-Old Dance of the Flying Men
VIDEO: Mexico’s 600-Year-Old Dance of the Flying Men
Lusophone.jpg
Musical Styles Worth Exploring in Lusophone Countries
Before the Sex Pistols, There Was Peruvian Punk Rock
Before the Sex Pistols, There Was Peruvian Punk Rock

Rohan A. Rastogi

Rohan is an engineering graduate from Brown University. He is passionate about both writing and travel, and strives to blend critical thinking with creative communication to better understand the places, problems, and people living throughout the world. Ultimately, he hopes to apply his love for learning and story-sharing skills to resolve challenges affecting justice, equity, and humanity.

India’s Silk Industry: A Hub For Modern Slavery

Despite global efforts to eliminate the practice, modern-day slavery still widely exists. In India, the silk industry continues to serve as an oppressive stronghold for the practice. 

Indian workers. Photo by Sujeeth Potla on Unsplash

The silk industry in India is not to be underestimated; it employs hundreds of thousands of workers and is worth over $3.6 billion annually. However, as with many booming industries, a dark side lingers in the background. In southwest India lies Karnataka state, a hub for many of the nation’s age-old industries including silk production. Although justly paid workers exist, a sizable portion remain stuck in a taxing system known as “bonded labor.” 

What is “Bonded Labor”?

Although not explicitly mentioned in the phrase, “bonded labor” is actually a form of modern-day slavery. Bonded labor is when someone is forced to work off an imposed debt, where their captivity is known as “debt bondage.” In this system, the victims are often promised employment or an opportunity they cannot afford to refuse, and are then forcefully kept as workers. Their pay is usually minuscule compared to the debt amassed, and as a result, the employers are able to continually pile on debt over time. The dynamic transitions from employer-employee to that of a master and a slave. 

Additionally, the work is often arduous and the masters are even more unrelentingly brutal; abuse is commonplace in the system. As a result, many families attempt to escape, only to find that the support system for a successful departure is at best a bare-bones operation if not entirely absent. Many authorities who are meant to help these victims escape partner instead with the perpetrators; corruption bleeds away most hope of an escape.

However, one way out does exist. Victims are able to apply for a certificate of release, which would trigger an investigation to either approve or deny the request. Frequently these attempts fall through, often due to failure on the part of the authorities. 

Although the use of bonded labor remains widespread, it is most extensively used in South and Southeast Asia. Oftentimes debt laborers work off family debts, held hostage due to a loan taken by their parents or grandparents. 

How Did Bonded Labor Spread in India?

Bonded labor has been illegal in India since the Bonded Labor System Act of 1976, but this law failed to provide substantial change. It is estimated that over 8 million bonded laborers still exist in India, with experts fearing this statistic to be a gross underestimation. Rarely are those found guilty of violating the Bonded Labor System Act forced to serve out their punishment. 

Many human rights groups have pooled their efforts to research the extent of the system’s damage. What was found revealed grotesque physical, emotional and verbal abuse of children forced into bonded labor in the silk industry. Children of all ages, even as little as 5, were found to work 12-hour days nearly every day of the week; they do not attend school. Their work included placing their hands in boiling water and breathing in lung-blackening fumes; the children are not provided health care either, and often succumb to injuries. 

Human rights groups have stated that the Indian government is fully aware of this ongoing crime, yet fails to act on the victims’ behalf. It seems that corruption, combined with the consequences of the restrictive caste system, has left little hope for the estimated 350,000 children held in the silk industry’s bonded labor system. 

In the early 1990s, human rights groups sparked global outrage about the situation of India’s children, causing  the government to act. The Indian Supreme Court passed additional laws in 1996 to protect children in harmful workspaces, yet the government has failed to bring about any meaningful change. India’s National Human Rights Commission was brought in to spearhead proceedings, but very few perpetrators ever faced justice. 

The impact of the system is devastating as it enslaves whole families and sometimes even future generations. Until justice is truly served, victims of bonded labor will continue to be denied freedom.

To Get Involved:

To learn how Free the Slaves, an organization dedicated to sustainable freedom, helps victims, click here. 

To read about Anti-Slavery International, the world’s oldest anti-slavery organization, click here.

Ella Nguyen

Ella is an undergraduate student at Vassar College pursuing a degree in Hispanic Studies. She wants to assist in the field of immigration law and hopes to utilize Spanish in her future projects. In her free time she enjoys cooking, writing poetry, and learning about cosmetics.

Muslim Victims of India’s Worst Riots Fret Over Delayed Justice

For victims of any crime, the wait for justice to be served is often a painstaking process where emotions run high. The victims of last year's Hindu riots in New Delhi now feel that any hope for justice has fizzled away.

A Muslim praying in a mosque in New Delhi. Riccardo Maria Mantero. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. 

Almost exactly a year ago, India’s bustling capital of New Delhi broke out into the worst religious rioting seen in the country since 1984. For four bloody days, Hindu mobs ravaged the city targeting Muslims, many of whom grew up experiencing peaceful relations with their Hindu neighbors. The mobs set fire to Muslims’ homes and mosques, while others dragged Muslims into the streets where they were mercilessly beaten to death. Muslims were also wounded by crowbars and iron rods, while others were lynched. Families were burned alive as the violence ensued, often by Hindus wearing helmets to prevent police identification. One victim, Mohammad Zubair, was seen crouching on a dirt street with his hands over his head; he prayed as a group of men beat him senseless. Zubair narrowly survived after the mob left his barely conscious body for dead in a nearby gutter. 

“… a letter was found from a police chief calling on officers to ease punishments toward Hindus involved.”

Although a horrific scene, religious tensions and rioting are certainly nothing new to India. Hindus make up around 80% of the country’s population, while 15% are Muslims. The two groups have been in conflict since the country’s inception, but the election of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has exacerbated tensions to unprecedented levels. 

Now, a year has passed since the riots. Although the peak of violence has passed over, neither the widespread tension nor the fear among Muslim residents has eased. Most victims of the rioting find themselves at a dead end: police have often refused to help victims due to political ties with the currently elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has connections to Hindu nationalist groups. Many victims worry that the ruling party actually supported the riots against Muslims. 

Local police view the situation differently. They claim that the necessary investigations were carried out, and that almost 1,750 perpetrators were punished. Evidence seems to show otherwise; a letter was found from a police chief calling on officers to ease punishments toward Hindus involved. 

In addition, the complex situation has led to a web of accusations. Kapil Mishra, a leader of the BJP, believes that the riots were started by the Muslim population to incite violence against Hindus. Other Hindus claim that Muslims were behind the rioting, claiming that the goal was to tarnish India’s image on the world stage. 

Unfortunately, the situation for Muslim victims appears bleak. All that can be done now is for the anguished residents to wait some more and hope for a new path forward. 

Ella Nguyen

Ella is is an undergraduate student at Vassar College pursuing a degree in Hispanic Studies. She wants to assist in the field of immigration law and hopes to utilize Spanish in her future projects. In her free time she enjoys cooking, writing poetry, and learning about cosmetics.

Glacial Avalanche in Himalayas Draws Attention to Climate Change

The topic of climate change is widely discussed in political and scientific circles; while many wholly deny the concept, others experience its consequences firsthand. In the most recent example of climate change’s widespread impacts, natives of the Himalayas have taken a firm stand in protecting their homes. 

Pristine Himalayas—for now. David Zanchettine. CC BY-NC 2.0. 

Just over a month into 2021, the climate crisis struck the Indian Himalayas when a portion of a massive glacier in Uttarakhand state broke off. The incident occurred at the base of Nanda Devi, India’s second-tallest mountain; the gargantuan mountain’s lower slopes are peppered with villages where locals raise cattle. The incident was exacerbated by a snowball event: the avalanche struck construction sites, pushing more deadly debris toward locals. Villages were obliterated by the falling debris, while a raging river of melted ice shot down rocky hillsides. Officials claim that over 200 are missing, many of whom were workers on construction sites; 30 people have been declared dead. The cause of the slide has not been fully determined, but officials suspect that warming of the ice due to climate change caused the rocks to slide off with greater ease. 

As tragic as this recent incident was, it was not the first episode of the Himalayan climate crisis and certainly will not be the last. The Himalayas are already vulnerable to catastrophic weather changes, especially during the monsoon season. However, it is the human-caused damage that locals are imploring the government to prevent. 

India faces a daunting dilemma with the Himalayan climate crisis. Many residents of the hilly landscape live in poverty, so the government has jump-started many development projects to help the local population. However, as well-intentioned as this work may have been, it has proven deadly to the area’s residents. Many argue that the ecosystem of the Himalayas is simply too fragile to sustain such heavy construction. Locals explain that the rocky area is prone to landslides, and the ever-rising temperatures leave glaciers closer to their melting point. In addition, climate change has contributed to unpredictable weather patterns in the area, which further adds to the locals’ anxiety of potential catastrophes. Yet, the government has chosen to continue the projects anyway. As a result, human interference with the landscape compounded with rising temperatures due to climate change leave residents constantly teetering on the edge of disaster. 

Little can be said at the moment of what kind of change lies ahead for India’s Himalayan population. However, what can be said is that failure to act swiftly will guarantee a deadly future for the area’s residents. 

To Get Involved:

To learn more about how the India Development and Relief Fund approaches disaster relief in the region, click here. 

To look into ways to help with disaster relief through volunteering for the India Development and Relief Fund, click here. Telecommuting is available for most positions.

Ella Nguyen

Ella is an undergraduate student at Vassar College pursuing a degree in Hispanic Studies. She wants to assist in the field of immigration law and hopes to utilize Spanish in her future projects. In her free time she enjoys cooking, writing poetry, and learning about cosmetics.

India’s Marijuana Users Worry Amid Cannabis Crackdown

With many arguing it is high time to change marijuana laws, the government begins cracking down on cannabis. 

Lighting up in Kolkata. Timothy Neesam. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Every village in India is sure to have it. Everyone will know a friend or a friend of a friend who uses it, even if they don’t use it themselves. Whether a local rickshaw driver or a Bollywood starlet, every social class seems to enjoy its relaxing qualities. Some religious leaders even tout its effect on transcendental meditation. The police, however, are ramping up efforts to expunge it from India. The substance: marijuana. 

Despite occupying a prominent role in Indian society for centuries, the consumption of marijuana is highly stigmatized. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) began cracking down on its use by targeting Bollywood stars caught in the act. Actress Rhea Chakraborty spent a whole month in jail after investigators discovered she had procured weed for her then boyfriend. Her private messages have endangered the careers of many other stars. Deepika Padukone is now under suspicion; he discussed “doob” over WhatsApp. 

A sign prohibiting marijuana use. henrikj. CC BY-NC 2.0.

The NCB has much on its plate if it wishes to flush the drugs out of Bollywood. A-list celebrity Ranvir Shorey said in an interview that drugs are part of Bollywood culture, not because denizens are depraved but because drugs, especially marijuana, are ingrained in Indian culture. He noted, “I think drug consumption in Bollywood is the same proportion as it is generally in society” and that the stigma against weed is a “colonial hangover” based on “laws that are hundreds of years old and have not changed.”

Even older than these laws are the many traditions of cannabis use. The earliest mention of it comes from the Hindu Vedas, which extol both its medicinal and spiritual properties. It describes the god Shiva puffing smoke to contemplate the mysteries of life and death. Following this example, religious ascetics eschew materialistic pleasures in pursuit of a meditative life, sometimes aided by marijuana. On the flip side, soldiers would often imbibe it to muster courage before battle, much the way European soldiers would swig whiskey. From antiquity onward, cannabis played a prominent and socially welcomed role in many aspects of life. 

Indeed, British imperialism helped to initiate the decades-old disdain for pot. When colonization first began in the 19th century, cannabis was often a farmer’s most profitable crop. Food was grown mainly for sustenance. To sell it, however, farmers were forced to navigate an expensive, labyrinthine process of taxes and licenses. Hoping to turn a profit, farmers smuggled cannabis instead. When imperial courts began prosecuting smugglers, cannabis acquired a criminal association. 

If social attitudes toward weed are a colonial hangover, India’s laws are a neocolonial imposition. In 1961, the United Nations’ Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (SCND) classified marijuana as a “hard drug” in an effort to address drug abuse worldwide. The convention did not respect the innumerable traditions centered around marijuana or the purported evidence that its moderate use caused no harmful side effects. In India’s case, it did leave a loophole for bhang, a milky beverage infused with cannabis that is consumed at some Hindu holidays.

An authorized bhang shop. Tom Maisey. CC BY 2.0.

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985 fulfilled the stipulations India agreed to in the SCND. It spelled out the fines and prison sentences faced if one is caught using or selling pot. Coming at the height of the Western world’s war on drugs, it is viewed by some as an example of the rich world’s sensibilities determining the domestic laws of poorer nations. 

No law seems likely to stop marijuana’s consumption, though. According to one 2019 survey, 3% of Indians—31 million people—consumed a cannabis product in the past year. Bustling cities offer weed connoisseurs a wide array of dealers to choose from, and almost every rural village houses at least one seller, whether a seasoned dealer or an enterprising local, to provide a high. When police catch a smoker in the act, they can easily be bribed. 

Two sadhus, religious ascetics, smoking marijuana. kehworks. CC BY-NC 2.0.

Consumption habits will likely prove stronger than the moral questions about marijuana’s use. So long as India’s pot consumers include Bollywood stars and religious leaders, rural farmers and stressed-out office workers, the coalition is nearly impossible to beat. Mumbai and Delhi consume 70 tons of cannabis a year. The NCB simply cannot confiscate that much product, so its efforts may all go up in smoke. 

To read more about the controversy around the word “marijuana” check out our article here.

Michael McCarthy

is an undergraduate student at Haverford College, dodging the pandemic by taking a gap year. He writes in a variety of genres, and his time in high school debate renders political writing an inevitable fascination. Writing at Catalyst and the Bi-Co News, a student-run newspaper, provides an outlet for this passion. In the future, he intends to keep writing in mediums both informative and creative.

TALES OF A FEMALE SOLO ADVENTURER: Getting Off the Beaten Path

I grew up in a loving and somewhat free-spirited Canadian family. Our nomadic wanderings throughout western and northern Canada set the foundation for a life of global adventure, with my first flight from the nest being to the Central African Republic when I was 17. I spent a year there learning the local language and traveling to some of the most remote areas of that beautiful country. That was it. I was hooked on travel. I’m still going strong almost 30 years and four continents later. I relish the freedom of backpacking, but also love really living in another country and planting roots for several years. I enjoy the uniqueness of each place I visit yet what I love even more are the connections that prove the undeniable unity of the human race.

After raising three amazing children across several countries, they have all moved out and I’m solo once again. I’m currently based out of India’s Tamil Nadu state, where I focus my free time on the “3 Ts”: Travel, Trekking and Trail-running. I find solo adventuring so empowering because it allows me to test my limits and see how far I can go. Being a woman on my own I definitely take precautions, but I chose not to live in fear of what might happen. Instead, I focus on the positive and so far it's been a great journey. Photography is a recent hobby. I’m a nature lover who seeks out those “holy shit” moments of beauty that come from getting off the beaten path. 

“Home” in western Canada. During my last visit I enjoyed camping and running the trails along the Green River. This area is just a couple hours outside of Vancouver but you couldn’t feel farther from the city. And yes, that water is cold!

I’m always looking for new trails. I scan Google Maps, throw on my hydration vest and go explore. This is a small track running through rural farmland in Tamil Nadu. When I’m not traveling I’m out there seeing how far my legs will take me.

Wayanad in India’s Kerala state is an amazing place to just wander. It is so wild and lush. Every day I was there I would take a local bus and jump out when it looked interesting. Then I would take the trails up to the tea plantations and down into steamy, forested valleys. The great thing about India is that it has a good public transport system. It doesn’t matter how far or which direction my feet carry me; I will eventually find another bus to take me back to where I started.


Sometimes when you travel you stumble across the perfect moment. This was one in Mingun, Myanmar.

In January 2020 I spent a month exploring Myanmar. This photo was taken at the end of an epic section of trail. I spent three days walking from Kalaw to Inle Lake. Here, I’m taking a longboat across Inle Lake to get from the end of the trail to the nearest town where the luxury of a hot shower awaited me.

No hotels, no restaurants. I slept in small villages with local families who offered food and shelter. These are communal sleeping quarters up in the mountains of central Myanmar. When you are climbing up and down mountains all day, I can’t tell you how good it feels to be given a hot meal and a place to rest your weary bones. 

Pokhara, Nepal, is an awesome place to explore even if you opt not to do the big overnight treks in the mountains. I asked many locals and they all told me that you could not circumnavigate Phewa Lake. I kept staring at Google Maps and thinking, “I’m sure I can!” The issue was getting across the valley floor. There is a section where there is no track at all. One day I saw a farmer wade through the rice paddies and I did the same, mud up to my knees in places. Once I got across the valley, as I had seen on Google Maps, there was “trail” all the way around. I arrived back in Pokhara nine hours later, feet full of leeches but with a happy heart. 

The artist in me gets very excited about local handicrafts. I love seeing creative expression around the world. This teenage boy was oblivious of me as he patiently labored away at this masterpiece in Bagan, Myanmar.

I have been blessed with close encounters with many amazing animals. I never chase after them but enjoy when they approach me. These are Nilgiri tahr, an endangered species that inhabits the Eravikulam National Park in southern India. I was sitting on a rock and they stepped right over me and decided to hang out. I was all by myself up in the hills and it was such a magical moment.

I love a good storm! Something about the energy of the shifting skies is so invigorating. This is on the backwaters just south of Chennai, India, overlooking the Bay of Bengal.

Just outside of Kunchithanny in Kerala, India, I spent a week wandering in the mountains. I talked to locals to scope out good trails and, armed with screenshots from my trusty Google Maps, I headed out early each morning. This is one of my favorite places to trek. I can cover 15 miles by noon. The climbs are steep but well worth it. I met families at my guesthouse who spent three hours in traffic jams to catch a glimpse of the popular waterfalls outside of Munnar; meanwhile, I saw at least 20 falls and had them all to myself. This area is so welcoming. Several families brought me into their homes for food and rest. I can’t wait to go back.

Monks feeding carp in Hpa-An, southern Myanmar. This was such a magical day. First I offered a prayer to all my loved ones atop the rock tower at the pagoda in the middle of this pond. Later that day I did my hardest climb in Myanmar. I climbed to the highest point in the mountains seen in the background. It was an extremely steep vertical climb. Rough steps had been carved out of the rock but they were narrow. In places, I had to lift my leg up higher than my knees to reach the next step. It is typically a three to four hour hike. I wanted to catch the sunset so I powered up it in an hour and 20 minutes. I made it just in time and then descended in 45 minutes. When I finished, my legs were shaking and spasming uncontrollably. It actually felt great having pushed past what I thought my body was capable of.

In Ubud on the Indonesian island of Bali I would wake up at 4 a.m. and run up the mountain peaks in the dark to catch the sunrise from the mountaintops. This is where I started really building my confidence running solo in the wilderness. I wish this photo could convey the incredible birdsong that accompanied each daybreak.

My daily runs here in Tamil Nadu often involve weaving through crowds of these guys. I’m up early to catch the sunrise and enjoy South India in all her beauty.

I have learned to read the landscape, tune into my surroundings and listen to my own body. All of this has given me the freedom to keep living my best life. No regrets.

If you want to keep up to date with my adventures, follow me on Instagram @dawned_onme or check out my blog, bigbeautiful.world, to see more of my past wanderings.

Dawn Lwakila

continually takes the path less trodden, both figuratively and literally. She loves to really live in a place and grow some roots there — as well as a good wander and the freedom to explore. Canada is her homeland, but her heart and soul is scattered across the globe. She has journeyed through over 30 countries and still has an ever-growing bucket list of new places to experience.

Colorism Shows its Face through India’s Skin Whitening Creams

Since 1975, India has had a market advertising products that can achieve being “fair and lovely” by whitening the skin, but what effect has this had on Indian society?

People on the street in India. Craig J Bethany. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

On June 26, Unilever made the decision to remove the word “fair” from its whitening creams sold throughout India and parts of Asia. It is assumed that the decision to rename the product was due to the global response to the death of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. For Indians, skin lightening is a painful reminder of their colonized past.

Commercials for whitening creams have advertised the products as the solution to all of life’s troubles. Along with that, they have carried the notion that having darker skin is harmful and will set you back in life. It only perpetuates colorism, when people within the same race discriminate against skin colors. Often, colorism takes on the form of favoritism toward lighter skin shades over darker ones. 

Colorism is a byproduct of colonization. From 1858 to 1947, India was under British rule in hopes of extracting the resources that were making India so profitable through the East India Company. Britain took advantage of the wealth by imposing strict policies and limiting government representation across India. However, those that had lighter complexion were favored and often offered more better jobs than those with darker complexions. Britain maintained its control over India until the country’s independence after World War II. 

Thus, in 1975, Unilever’s “Fair & Lovely” cream first debuted. Despite a decadeslong appeal toward fair skin, this “luxurious” type of cream would not become popular until the 1990s, when it became more accessible in the form of cosmetic products such as deodorants, creams and at-home treatments. Even though it is a more recent trend, skin lightening still reflects and enforces the mindset of British colonizers. Bollywood even joined the trend by selecting lighter-skinned actors who can “better represent Indian life.” Since the first release of Unilever’s product, the skin lightening industry has become a multimillion dollar market, with some estimates around $4 billion globally, due to the high demands to meet the beauty standards. The highest usage is across Asia and Africa.

Typical usage for skin lightening creams, also known as skin bleaching, is to help reduce the appearance of scars or age spots. In India, though, the products are also used to reduce the melanin levels in one’s skin. Most products must be applied over the course of six weeks to see results. Often, there is a combination of different steroids or chemicals used to help change skin tone.

Research by the World Health Organization has found that mercury is often an active ingredient. Even though it is banned for use in the U.S., other countries do not have much regulation over mercury’s usage. Mercury can cause a range of problems, from neurological to fertility in nature. 1 in 4 skin lightening products made in Asia has been found to contain mercury. Other risks include skin cancer, premature aging of skin, skin thinning and allergic reactions.

Skin lightening treatments at a convenience store. Sophia Kristina. CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0

Additionally, the color of one’s skin in India is critical when it comes to arranged marriages. Often, parents place advertisements in newspapers known as matrimonial ads in order to find potential spouses for their children. Often in these ads, there are descriptions of the child’s skin tone ranging from “fair” to “wheatish,” with “fair” individuals pursued the most. Along those lines, many dating websites for arranged marriages, such as Shaadi.com, allow users to select preferences based on skin tone. However, Shaadi.com representatives did announce earlier this month they were removing the search option.

This is not to say that the skin lightening industry is to blame for colorism today. It has become a deeply-rooted mechanism, with discrimination and racism existing in Indian society since the 1850s. Activists have encouraged the stop of these products’ production, as organizations such as Women of Worth have found that skin lightening practices cause a sharp decrease in self esteem for brown girls.

Eva Ashbaugh

is a Political Science and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies double major at the University of Pittsburgh. As a political science major concentrating on International Relations, she is passionate about human rights, foreign policy, and fighting for equality. She hopes to one day travel and help educate people to make the world a better place.