Black and Bright

[VC Bothra]

>Then why in popular Tamil usage 'black'is associated with evil?

>The earliest reference that I can find using "white" as an image
>for "good" is Isaiah 1:18,

>"BLACK/dark/wicked/evil" and "WHITE/bright/light/good" ideas


Pan-Indian culture and society has always been knowledge based.

In Jainism, the worshipped ideals (Tirthankars) are equated with
Sun and ignorance with Darkness. Thus the Sun destroys Darkness.
It is said that ignorance is the root of all evil.

This, IMHO, is the connection between evil->darkness->black.
Also the root of black getting associated with bad/evil/devil.

And not the racial or colour bias that has come into prominence
due to recent western imperial dominance. As a matter of fact,
Lord Krishna has been described in the epics to have had a dark
wheatish complexion.

I think the depth, vastness and complexity of Indian culture requires
a more detailed and discplined study in an "Indian" context which
must take into account the profound philosophical background.



Veer Bothra
vcbothra at hotmail.com