My Mother Was Told, "Your Dark Skin Colour Will Destroy My Son's Clothes"

Women with dark skin face all kinds of discrimination in society. Digital creator Prachi Chaudhary shares the story of her mother who was taunted by her in-laws because of her dark skin colour.

“My mom got married at 17. It was an arranged marriage but she didn’t have any idea what she was getting into. Her mother-in-law always ridiculed her for her dusky skin tone. She even suggested that my father should remarry. Sometimes, my grandma wouldn’t even let my mom touch my father’s clothes saying ‘Your dark skin colour will destroy my son’s clothes'."

"The insults didn’t stop there. Many times she’d to hear taunts for giving birth to two daughters & no sons. My grandma used to say, ‘tumne to mere bete ka vansh hi khatam kardiya’.
But my mother didn’t let this affect us. She made sure her daughters were educated & independent. Thanks to her hard work, at 23 I got my first job as a teacher. By 24, my parents started planning my marriage."

"That’s when I told them that I wanted to marry a guy of another caste. My father was beyond himself & blamed mom for spoiling me with too much freedom. He said, ‘I’d rather have a dead daughter than have her married in another caste’. But mom supported me & stood strong between me & him. When dad started looking for a groom within our caste, I ran away."

"My mom broke down the minute she got to know. She begged me to come home, because she was terrified of what dad would do if he found out. I came back home hoping dad would understand but he didn't. That's when my mom, who had never stepped outside the house alone, took me to the court to get me married to the person I loved, despite knowing she’d be ridiculed for life by everyone in the family."

"It's been 4 years & only because of my mom I am happily married to the man I love. My father broke all his ties with me the day I tied the knot with Harsh. But mom still does everything she can. She has never met Harsh or his family but she trusted me that I was capable of making decisions for my life."

"She might not be educated or updated by the world's standard. but she is the most courageous, strong and beautiful woman. I know lots of people have their dad as a superhero but for me it's my mom.”

Watch her story here. 

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