HVK Archives: Sorry, no Indians please!
Sorry, no Indians please! - The Hindustan Times
Gaurav Kala
()
11 May 1997
Title : Sorry, no Indians please!
Author : Gaurav Kala
Publication : The Hindustan Times
Date : May 11, 1997
After 50 years of Independence, a few establishments in the Capital want to
retain the colonial legacy by denying entry to people with dark skin. Some of
these establishments are located in the congested Paharganj area, a favourite with
the not-so-affluent tourist.
A perfume shop in the area, located a short distance from the mosque, displays a
sign outside which reads "No Entry". What it does not say is that while Indians
and other dark-skinned customers are to keep away, gora sahibs are welcome.
Neelima Pelz, a non-resident Indian (NRI), got a rude shock when on Wednesday she
decided to visit the shop. "My friends in Melbourne had bought some articles from
the shop which everyone had appreciated. So, when they learnt that I would be
coming to India, they asked me to visit the shop and buy some knick-knacks for
them as well," she says. The address of the shop was given to her by her friends.
But when Neelima went to the shop, it was only to be stoped at the door by the
guard. "I tried to tell them that my friends had given me the address and since
they had purchased things from this very shop, I too had the right to go inside.
But the shop management was adamant and refused," she says.
Neelima was told that the shop was "exclusively export-oriented". However, when
she persisted and told them that she could start an export venture with them, she
was asked to go away. "While I was being humiliated in my own country, several
Europeans walked into the shop and bought goods," she claims. "How can the shop be
only for export when my friends had bought goods from them."
Later, when this reporter went to the shop, he too was stopped by the doorman from
entering. When asked why, the doorman told him to mind his own business and leave.
A handful of items are on display outside the shop and 'Indians' are only allowed
to shop there. The shop itself is a three-storeyed structure with a tinted-glass
front. A narrow flight of stairs leads to the door.
For the time that this reporter spent going through the items on display outside
the shop, several white-skinned Europeans went inside and made purchases.
There are some restaurants in the area which too do not permit Indians inside -
their argument is that Indians behave rudely with their foreign customers
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