Chetankumar Mehsram, 26, a resident of Kalyan, Mumbai, also faced racial discrimination in the UK by his employers and he took the matter to court and won the case.
Chetankumar is removed from a BPO as his accent is not ‘English enough.’ He files a case and wins a £5,000 compensation
MUMBAI: Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty made all the right noises about being a victim of racism on Celebrity Big Brother, a reality show in Britain. She cried in front of TV audiences and amid a wave of sympathy, won the contest. Actors John Abraham, Arshad Warsi and Bipasha Basu also said they had to bear racist remarks while shooting for Goal in the UK, but they revealed this only when their film was set for release.
Chetankumar Mehsram, 26, a resident of Kalyan, Mumbai, also faced racial discrimination in the UK by his employers, but unlike the Bollywood celebrities, he ensured he took the matter to court and won the case.
Chetankumar, while studying for his Masters at the University of North Northampton, had taken up a part time job with communications firm Talk Talk Direct. Due to his excellent performance in the previous year, he was sent to New Delhi in June 2006 to train the staff as a ‘technical advisor.’ However, much to his dismay and horror, he was sent back to Britain in just three weeks as the BPO found his accent was not ‘English enough.’
“It was a humiliating experience. My boss called me and told me that I’d be replaced with a better English-speaking employee,” Chetankumar told DNA in a telephonic interview. He went back to the UK after the incident. However, not the one to take things lying down and with a strong desire to regain his lost self-respect, Chetankumar, with the help of the Northampton Racial Quality Council, filed a complaint with the Bedford Employment Tribunal. The case went on for 11 months. The tribunal, last week, ruled in Chetankumar’s favour and ordered the company to pay the Mumbaikar £5,000 as compensation.
“This victory means a lot to me. I have regained my lost pride. Racism is a big issue and this victory, I hope, will encourage more people to come forward and talk about it,” Chetankumar said. On asked if there were adverse reactions from the company after the court ruling, he replied in the negative. “Ironically, they tell me that I am one of their best employees,” laughs the 26-year-old. He says he has also faced racist comments on the streets of Britain earlier, but it was nothing major.
In the meanwhile, his family in Mumbai was oblivious to Chetankumar’s ordeal. “He did not tell us anything. It was only after he won the case, did he call up and explained all that happened. He fought all alone. We are very proud of him,” said Rakhi Meshram, his mother. “He is a convent-educated boy. Besides, he was sent to New Delhi for a technical job, I don’t understand how the accent issue came up. We are just very happy and glad that he stood up for a cause and won the case,” beamed Dr Leena Meshram, Chetankumar’s sister.
The compensation, though, is still on paper. The company has yet to pay him. Chetankumar went to Britain in 2005. He still works with the Talk Talk Direct firm.
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