Why do we Indians not realize that by treating dark-skinned people as ugly and inferior, and light-skinned people as beautiful, we are keeping ourselves inferior to the world, even in our own minds?

We Indians mostly have dark brown to wheatish skin tones, and we live in a hot environment. It's absolutely fine to be dark. Our skin pigmentation is a natural protection against skin cancer, nothing more, period. But if you make fun of a dark-skinned person in India (which makes up 50-60% of the population), you're essentially mocking yourself. By doing so, you're indirectly suggesting that people from the Middle East, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Northern Africa, Central Asia, Europe, South America, North America, New Zealand, and other regions have light skin thus we are inferior. There’s nothing unique or superior about being light-skinned. An inbred person from Finland may have light skin, but that doesn't make it beautiful. Instead of discouraging kids from going out in the sun or drinking tea to avoid getting dark, we should encourage them to engage in sports, go to the gym to stay fit, and focus on grooming, hygiene, and dressing well.