Its in my hands!

Mahatma Gandhi was travelling in a train from Durban to Pretoria. He had a first-class ticket. When the train reached Morrisberg, an English man boarded the train. He was shocked to see a ‘coolie’ in the first-class compartment. He asked Gandhi to get out.

‘I have a first-class ticket, said Gandhi

The English man continued asking Gandhi to get out. Gandhi asked him to get an officer of law to intervene. The officer threw Gandhi’s luggage out and Gandhi too.

‘Get into the last compartment, the English man sneered.

Gandhi sat on the platform and watched the train go.

This was the beginning of a story that the world knows.

The sense of entitlement and privilege that certain people have over the other manifests in behavior that are superior. This sense of superiority comes from color, wealth, caste or gender. Societies have been trying for centuries to be egalitarian. Some have succeeded partially and some are struggling.

With industrialization came hope for economic freedom and thus equality. Corporates set up codes of conduct to ensure that all are treated well.  If colonization ended and the British and the rest of the plunderers left the shores of the country, a new colonization began.

The setting up of foreign companies in Indian shores!  While it employed many and added to the country’s prosperity the old deep rooted ugly face of racism reared. It is not strange to hear muffled voices in multinational corporations complain about discrimination. It is seldom addressed well

 You are singled out and systematically pushed to a corner to cut you to size. The reason being that you cannot be controlled, or managed. Or the victimization is because of who you are.  Processes that are laid down are violated to browbeat the victim. The victim often an Indian or Chinese seldom says anything. In the organization that I work for, we call it the EMI silence. EMI is Equated Monthly Instalment that has to be paid to the bank every month to repay the loan. The silence empowers the perpetrators. And then the corporate crawls with racist, bigots and supremacist.

Racial discrimination is also difficult to prove. It can be overt or covert.  But we can feel it. When somebody dislikes you for who you are and for something that you cannot change, that is racism.

When I was pushed to the corner, I howled murder. My dignity and self-respect is of utmost importance to me. I complained and wrote to everybody. I sought help from all who I know.  I was indignant to learn that grown up men violate processes, conspire to sate the bigot in them. The Swiss company that I work with had systems in place. But the system also failed to detect leaders with discriminatory behavior and their punishment was not swift and appropriate. The blanket of while silence was very heavy.

In the process, I also realized why an abused person is loath to file a complaint. Because somehow the whole narrative shifts to the complainant and not the perpetrator. The corporate tries to stick unrelated things to dilute the essence of the crime. There is a bro code! Of which lesser mortals are not part of.

Even in moments of despair, I thought of Gandhi sitting on the platform with a first-class ticket!

He began a story,

And so, should we!