A young mother from Sydney, Australia, is fighting Uber — she was banned from using the service because of her name. Swastika Chandra’s first name, Swastika, means good luck and prosperity in Sanskrit and is a big part of her Hindu identity. But Uber found it so offensive that the woman’s registration on the platform was canceled for violating the terms and conditions.
The 35-year-old woman grew up in Fiji. No one was surprised by her name there.
«It is a very common name. I personally know four or five other girls with the same name. At school, we had two or three other girls with the same name. It means good luck. It means good things for me» — says Svastika.
Swastika Chandra had no problem using her name on her birth certificate, Australian citizenship certificate, medical records, and driver’s license. But in October last year, Uber blocked her account, claiming that her name violated its terms of use.
«One day, I was ordering food, got to the payment stage, and a pop-up appeared: «Your name is a violation, you need to change your name in the app», — she explained.
At the same time as the Israel-Hamas war began, Uber introduced new rules about words that could be offensive, «swastika» being among them. Swastika Chandra is deeply aware of the double meaning of her name, but says that society needs to know the origin of the word.
«They don’t know that the Hindus used it for thousands of years before Hitler misused it. I think you need to have a little education. I am very proud of my name. I believe in the good things that come with it, and I wouldn’t change it for anyone», — says Swastika.
Five months ago, Uber retracted its claims, apologized, and made an exception for the woman to join the platform. But this required the intervention of Australia’s main Hindu body, the Hindu Council, as well as the support of the Jewish community and the New Zealand Attorney General.
The Hindu community honored Chandra for her fight against the global corporation in this case.
Source: Nine.Com.au