The story of Anagha

Anagha, was one of the best brain available for an MNC – in the name of open source, from Calicut, Kerala. She joined the company as a developer trainee. By a year, she became team leader for their flagship project. She was very depressed by experiencing inhumane acts of MNC such as overtime duties, They didn’t provide travel assistance even on late nights, since she was developer trainee. When she promoted as team leader, the management started enforcing all developers – including women – unrealistic deadlines which made them reach home by midnight. As they had to work on Sundays, even they were struggling to wash their clothes. Developers she used to manage started complaining about this unethical behaviour. She dropped a letter conveying their – the team’s demand for fair deadline allocation, proper mid night travel aid and salary hike to HR and left office early by 0900PM. Before falling asleep, she recalled her college days – agitations and strikes and she compared them to present situation of corporate nature of business operation. HR didn’t responded to her mail. On management meeting, she raised this issue but the management wasn’t cooperative and denied her demands. Next day onwards, she asked her team members to work only on usual office hours. Management questioned her, imposed more and more unrealistic deadlines. She stood on her decision. Couple of days after, one Friday evening, she got termination letter to her personal email mailbox. They have changed all credentials that very day – she was unable to access her communication with the company. Next day, a very few human rights activists protested for her in front of company office – notably, nobody from her company.

Top officials of that organization holds key position in tech entrepreneurs’ coalition. They stopped her from getting employed in Kerala and abroad. She believes, all this happened to her because she was from Dalit – struggling background and of her gender. Long back, she shared her experience – differential in dealing African black clients and privileged white clients. She told me worst racial practices is not somewhere else in the universe, its Gods own country – Kerala. She is now waiting for a positive court ruling on her legal battle against that company.