Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan ignites fire in 'black'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan on Wednesday called out the dark skin color jibes she faced while at the office. The Facebook post went like wildfire across social media platforms, inviting a deluge of responses.

With the intervention of political leaders and the public, the issue moved beyond emotional and into legal action. However, a senior police officer told Kerala Kaumudi about not conducting any investigation in this regard. No such instruction has been received from the government.

However, many prominent figures, including Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan, Minister V. Sivankutty, former Minister P.K. Sreemathy, Congress leader K. Muraleedharan, former Minister and MP K. Radhakrishnan, and MP Shafi Parambi, came out in solidarity with the Chief Secretary. The Chief Secretary's revelation became a topic of serious debate in public forums.

In the post, Sarada opened about the relentless parade of comparison she faced with her predecessor, V Venu (Sarada’s husband). Sarada also reminisced, asking her mother at the age of four to take her back to the womb and give birth again in white skin tone.

Sarada Muraleedharan:

“No matter what position I hold, I am still Sarada. A short, dark-skinned, ordinary person. No one is perfect. When you hold a position of greater responsibility, you have to give 'priority' to certain things, knowingly or unknowingly.

Color is not limited to the skin. It affects us on many levels. The sense of beauty affects our personality. Personality also affects our actions. When one's personality is insulted, it can also affect one's self-confidence. I hope my response inspires some rethinking.”

V Venu:

"I met her first during the train journey to Musooorie. We had a great connection from the very first go, and I was interested in more than one aspect of her. I have never cared about her skin color. Many of my relatives were dark skinned too. However, we have often talked about how society discusses such things."