Not Foreigners, but Indian Born Family of 8 ‘Albinos’ Need Your Help
Papud Jaidev and his family of seven “Albinos” hailing from Karad city-Satara district in the Southern part of Maharashtra have been coming to Mangaluru since decades during Hindu festival season to earn money through begging- and very soon they will be heading back to their hometown, until they return to Mangaluru in a later date.
Mangaluru: Before writing this article, I tried discussing albinism with the social circle, and not surprisingly, most people didn’t know that such a term, or a medical condition, existed. Yet, everyone knew or remembered seeing people with the skin disorder, and staring at them uncomfortably before moving on with their lives. To get more information on Albinism I called Dr Prabha Adhikari-Former professor of Medicine at KMC-Mangaluru, and now serving at Yenepoya Hospital-Deralakatte, who gave me an elaborate description of Albinism. For the uninitiated, albinism is a rare genetic disorder characterized by the lack of Melanin, a pigment that normally gives colour to the skin, hair, and eyes. Another commonly affected area is a vision. In India, however, people with albinism, or albinos, face inexplicable social boycott and discrimination.
One in 17,000 people in the world is born with Albinism. India has approximately one lakh, such people. Those with the condition do not produce enough melanin pigment, which gives colour to the skin, hair and eyes and protects the body from the sun’s rays. They often suffer from extreme short-sightedness and a severe sensitivity to light. Albinism is a congenital disorder that affects the production of melanin — the pigment that gives the skin and eyes colour. The problems albinos face range from discrimination to bullying to inaccurate representation in movies, and sometimes physical attacks and violence.
The case of albinism in India is a curious one. In a country obsessed with the fair skin we see an inapposite reaction to people with this condition. Albinism is an extremely rare condition it often renders such individuals hypersensitive to sun rays beside making their appearance look ‘foreign’. Sources reveal that due to their ethereal appearance, people with albinism have been mistreated for centuries. They’ve been perceived as mythical beings in countries like Tanzania, and witch-doctors have murdered them for their body parts, believing them to have magical properties. There have also been cases of albino women being raped in Zimbabwe, because of a false theory that sex with them can cure a man of HIV.
But that changes as soon as they step out when they face prejudices for their extreme fair skin due to Albinism. People address them as ‘Suraj-mukhi’ or ‘Angrez’ (British) because of their pale skin. In a country where fairness creams are advertised and dark skin is shunned, being this pale-skinned opens you up to prejudice and discrimination in society. The Jaidev family appearing almost incongruous, squat on the road and beg for alms, or they visit temples during festivals where they earn more income through alms. Jaidev says sometimes they make around Rs 500-600 daily. All members of this family are referred by local people as `bhuriyas’ because of their pinkish-white skin.
I still remember seeing this family decades ago, and I know many of you might have seen this Albino family beg on Mangaluru streets. It was Jaidev’s parents who descended in Mangaluru in the 80’s- and now Jaidev (45) has grown up, and having married to Chanda (32) he has five children namely- Ajay (10), Ujay (7), Avinash (5), Ruksan (4), and Nayna (2). He is also joined by his grandma, Shanthabai, aged 65.
Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Papud Jaidev said, ” All we know is that we can’t see properly, and we can’t sit under the sun for long, but we live the best we can. People in India, especially in Maharashtra, are a little more open-minded, but many think we’re foreigners. We have endured a lot of prejudice as people find it hard to understand that we are ‘born and bred in India’. People many times have called us foreigners, for they know nothing about Albinism. We are a Family born here in India, and not foreigners, but we suffer from a congenital absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes.”
” It is difficult for me to use my mobile phone but I try to use it, and I often get hurt while walking in dark alleys or streets. We often struggle to feel accepted in the society, and this has often led us to quit our dreams due to the fear of being left out. Even though we have a ‘tough’ life, but we strive to make the most of it. We would appreciate if people help us financially since we are neglected by the society due to our appearance. Hoping to get help from Mangaloreans, I sincerely thank everyone in advance. God bless you all” added Jaidev.
If you need to contact Jaidev and help his family, his mobile number is: 7798004891