Fashion designer and actress Masaba Gupta recently opened up about her father, the greatest West Indies cricketer of all time, Vivian Richards, and his emotional response to the racism that he faced.
Masaba discussed with Faye D’Souza in an interview how much the racism has disturbed her father and, further on, revealed that it makes him break into tears talking about his experiences.
Masaba recounted how Vivian Richards faced significant challenges due to his skin color during his professional cricket career, a period when racism was pervasive in sports and beyond. “Now I know why my father felt so strongly about it for so many years,” Masaba shared. “Till today, if you ask him, he’ll have tears in his eyes or he’ll have this rage in him… He played professional cricket in a time where the color of your skin came in the way of your ability to move ahead in the world.” She emphasized that racism remains a critical issue, noting, “It’s there, everywhere. It’ll keep being spoken of until we fight for it, and it’s only going to happen if everybody fights for it,” she added.
Masaba also revealed personal experiences with racism related to her pregnancy. She mentioned how she received unsolicited advice about ensuring her child would be “lighter” in skin tone. Masaba stated, “It happened to me just yesterday that somebody… said to me, ‘You must eat a rasgulla every day because your kid has to turn out lighter than you.’” She also recounted an incident with a masseuse who suggested that her child “must not turn out dusky.”
Masaba discussed with Faye D’Souza in an interview how much the racism has disturbed her father and, further on, revealed that it makes him break into tears talking about his experiences.
Masaba recounted how Vivian Richards faced significant challenges due to his skin color during his professional cricket career, a period when racism was pervasive in sports and beyond. “Now I know why my father felt so strongly about it for so many years,” Masaba shared. “Till today, if you ask him, he’ll have tears in his eyes or he’ll have this rage in him… He played professional cricket in a time where the color of your skin came in the way of your ability to move ahead in the world.” She emphasized that racism remains a critical issue, noting, “It’s there, everywhere. It’ll keep being spoken of until we fight for it, and it’s only going to happen if everybody fights for it,” she added.
Masaba also revealed personal experiences with racism related to her pregnancy. She mentioned how she received unsolicited advice about ensuring her child would be “lighter” in skin tone. Masaba stated, “It happened to me just yesterday that somebody… said to me, ‘You must eat a rasgulla every day because your kid has to turn out lighter than you.’” She also recounted an incident with a masseuse who suggested that her child “must not turn out dusky.”
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