It was a balmy August evening, like any other, and five of us walked out for a breath of fresh air. The air was not there, of course, but at the end of the road, we spotted a man selling corn-on-the-cob. Not feeling too hungry but wanting to munch on them anyway, we ambled towards this ‘bhuttawala’.  One for each one of us, I said, when Ani moved forward to check the stock and handpick the ones for us. There were a few people who had ordered before us and our ‘corn-man’ was trying his best to get the stuff ready for his customers. A few drops of rain fell and there was a collective shout all around, to welcome it.

Finally our corn-on-the-cob was ready and as we were lost in munching them as in our extremely engaging conversations. The very light drizzle had changed its mind and stopped and we for a change had mentally moved out of the discomfort of humidity and heat, which were very much physically there. Suddenly a little girl had stopped in front of the bhuttawala and eagerly pointing towards the delicious munchies. The young parents were just a few steps away but the mom shouted ” nahi Rina, no” The girl pleaded “Mommy, please bhutta…” The couple had now caught up with their child and the mom tried to drag her daughter away from the stall. The father, struggling to be on the same page as his wife and visibly embarrased at all the puzzled looks he was attracting nudged the mother to lend to the child’s wish. I really wish he hadn’t, for then the mother quite audibly (very much for our ‘corn-man’) said ‘Andhe ho gaye ho, haat paer dikhti nahin tumhe‘ (Have you turned blind? Can’t you see his hand and feet?) Even Paro who was spiritedly describing some hilarious incident to Rakhi, now focused on the ‘Mom’ and our bhuttawala.

For those of you, who haven’t yet guessed, our ‘corn-man’ had conditions of vitiligo on his arms and feet. But for all of us who were munching on the delicious corn served by him , it really did not matter at all. Even if we noticed it, we did not think twice about it. But then again, the’mom’ here is not a one-off case. I have seen people standing and sacrificing their seat (If you travel by public transport, you know how big a sacrifice that is) just to avoid sitting beside a person afflicted with vitiligo. Lot of people religiously avoid buying their ration from those with conditions of vitiligo. After clearing the written tests brilliantly, the interview became a sham because the prospective candidates suffered vitiligo. This mainly arises from the deeply embedded misconception that vitiligo is contagious, when it is truly not.

Vitiligo is an auto-immune disorder like alopecia areta, where the pigment creating capacity of the skin (which gives normal colour to the skin) is lost.  This creates sharp white patches to appear on the skin. Patches may be only on one small part of the body or it may cover entirely. These people may also lose pigment in patches of their hair.  Vitiligo usually strikes around 20s and usually makes its presence felt in the victims by their 40s, although I have seen elderly people suddenly developing these patches from nowhere. But once it affects, it is long-term although not always genetic. There is no known cure for vitiligo. Make-up helps to play down the spots in some cases and in extreme conditions people may resort to surgery.

Vitiligo affects both the genders and it is a common skin condition — affecting 1 to 2% of the global population. But that does not lighten the trauma for the individual victims. Most of them continue to suffer in their every public appearance. Ignorance and a deep-rooted idea to protect their own skin from any such ‘depigmentation’ infection leads to social ostracization, in several instances. The vitiligo-affected are  in large number of cases unfortunately made to feel diseased and untouchable. It is difficult to accept the sudden onslaught of vitiligo or its slow but gradual spread on oneself, much less the social pronouncement of being blackballed. So even if the person maybe otherwise healthy, his/her trauma is naturally overwhelming.

Many societies across the world put profound significance on the colour of the skin and overall appearance. India  is no exception. Think how many wedding ceremonies have you attended where either the groom or the bride (especially the bride) carried vitiligo and you will get a pretty much idea, where things stand.

As for our bhuttawala, we understood with heads tucked between our tails that he had learnt to take these things, in his stride. Well practice makes you a tough rookie, after all, especially when you are pitted against the blindly illogical. Sadly for us, the evening which had brightened with shared jokes, anecdotes and laughter suddenly lost a whole lot of charm.

Have you had a similar experience? Have you experienced something like this involving someone with vitiligo ? Do write to me

I think its time to spread the awareness about this ailment. What say?

Do think and write,

Your very own

kaberi