It ties into their caste system which may not exist on paper anymore is very much real and their country has the largest amount of people in poverty on the planet who are considered 'untouchables'. Not b/c they're above the law. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/pages/article/indias-untouchables-face-violence-discrimination but b/c they're viewed as diseased and disgusting. This is Indian (dot heads not the scalpers) empathy Anyways skin lightening and bleaching products sell like crazy there it's seen as status to be whiter. and much of their upper class would look more or less white if you changed their skin tone from all the fuckin the brits did...