New Delhi, Aug 30 - 'Looking for a slim, homely and fair girl for our son' - that is usually how most matrimonial ads read, the stress being on the word 'fair'. Many say it is proof of our obsession with a person's skin colour.

Twenty-five-year-old Anuradha Nigam (name changed) had to pay the price for being dusky when her boyfriend's mother rejected her because she was 'not fair'.

'I felt dejected! It was a terrible feeling that skin colour was given preference over my feelings for the person whom I was in love with. Unfortunately, he too succumbed to the pressure from his family and we parted ways. It is ironic but true,' said Nigam.

'Though he chose to marry a fair-skinned girl, he regretted it later when they realised there was no compatibility between them,' she said.

Samir Parikh, consultant psychiatrist at Max Healthcare in New Delhi, told IANS: 'Perception of what is desirable and not desirable in a prospective bride is to a large extent based upon the information that we receive and form our opinions on. As a result, a number of biases can creep into our way of thinking and the way we look at situations and think about the way things are.'

Anup Dhir, senior cosmetic surgeon at New Delhi's Apollo Hospital, says obsession with fair skin has something to do with the British colonial era.

'Indians are usually obsessed with fair skin as they acquired this legacy from the British era. As our rulers were fair skinned, we also run after fair complexion,' Dhir said.

According to experts, a fair skinned person is considered attractive regardless of whether that person has a symmetrical face or a healthy figure.