Indian-origin activist's work hailed

Prasun Sonwalkar

London, Jun 14 (PTI) A prominent Bristol-based
anti-racism activist, who suffered racist abuse on the streets
of Bristol over a decade ago and went on to help thousands of
victims of racism in Britain, is delighted that her work in
the area has just won royal recognition.

Shobha Das, who until recently was the deputy director of
the Bristol-based Support Against Racist Incidents (SARI)
charity organisation, has been awarded the Member of the
British Empire (MBE) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List
announced Saturday.

Kerala-origin Das arrived in Britain 1993 for her PhD
study, but an incident changed her career perspective. In
1997, she recalls suffering racist abuse from a 5-year-old boy
on a street in Bristol in broad daylight.

"I will never forget how shocking and humiliating I found
that, and my curiosity about racism as well as my desire to
challenge it grew from there. I started volunteering with SARI
and left the organisation in 2008 as its Deputy Director", Das
told PTI.

During her time with SARI, she supported thousands of
victims of racism, offering basic counselling as well as
practical support and advocating with agencies to fight for
their rights.

"I also helped improve the way major institutions such as
the police and councils responded to racist incidents and was
recognised as a 'critical friend'. This MBE is not about me
alone but equally about my colleagues at SARI, especially the
amazing team of caseworkers and education workers. More
importantly, it is an acknowledgement of the value of
anti-racist work in the UK", she said.

Das who won the Criminal Justice System award in
September 2007, for Outstanding Contributions to Engaging
Communities said, she was worried about the rise of the
far-right in Europe, particularly after the recent elections
to the European Parliament, in which two members of the
British National Party were elected from Britain.

She added, "Events such as the global financial crisis
are triggers for increased xenophobia, because people feel
vulnerable and often blame 'outsiders' for their problems."

"But I don't think racism is exclusively a 'western'
phenomenon we have our fair share of it in India too and
should be equally vigilant there".

Das is currently pursuing an MBA in Geneva with a focus
on the non-profit sector, and hopes to work with an
international organisation in the field of human rights. PTI
PS BDS
HMK