Social media groups have been going crazy the past couple of days, over a scandal of sorts, involving a chat between venture capitalist Mahesh Murthy, and young entrepreneur Wamika Iyer. The 25-year-old co-founder of Frshday, a start-up based out of Chennai, posted a message on LinkedIn accusing Mahesh of misconduct. She alleged that she had received lewd messages from Mahesh a year ago. Her efforts to bring the episode to the fore had apparently proved futile last year and hence she took to social media again this year after she noticed similar allegations levelled against him.
In her LinkedIn post, Wamika said, “It is shocking and sad to see the ‘famous’ Venture capitalists, who are mentors and action figures to millions of young entrepreneurs, trying to exploit the rising women entrepreneurs. I know its too late to post here. I hope this man stops behaving this way with other women and I would advise all the women to be bold and not think about the society when it comes to exposing such people (sic).” The post, which is much longer, went viral on multiple social networking websites.
When asked why she didn’t approach the police despite having substantial proof, Wamika said, “I could’ve gone to the police, but we live in a country like India, and I didn’t want the police to come knocking at my door. I was just starting my start-up and wanted to focus on it.”
Wamika had approached Mahesh for a possible investment in her company. She is one of three women to level such accusations at Mahesh, recently. Two young entrepreneurs, Pooja Chauhan and Supriya Sahoo, too earlier posted screen grabs of their WhatsApp conversations with Mahesh.
When contacted, Mahesh refuted the claims strongly, saying, “I have never met Ms Chauhan, and neither have I ever met Ms Iyer. My online conversation with Ms Iyer was under my assumption that we were online friends and there was no possibility of any investment. Ms Iyer and her partner Vishal Nadar sent me the plan for their earlier company Dukaandaar repeatedly between Aug 2014 and July 2015. In the months after that, on a phone conversation, I clarified to Ms Iyer that I did not believe it was an investable business, and there was no possibility of investment. That was probably by the end of 2015, and no business plans were sent after that. Ms Iyer acknowledged the same and over the months that followed continued a personal conversation with me. As part of the personal conversation on Whatsapp, which was usually always started by her, usually very late in the evening, we chatted about things of a non-business nature.” Addressing the post he added, “In May 2016, I spoke in a personal tone as two single adults might, and I immediately stopped doing so when Ms Iyer told me it was not welcome. This was my misunderstanding and I am sorry for that. I stopped completely right away and there were no conversations, online or otherwise at all after that. To repeat, I have never ever met the lady or the gent, and the personal conversation that transpired on chat much later was largely initiated by the lady, and happened long after it was mutually clearly understood that there would be no possibility of any investment whatsoever. I didn’t hear from either of them again after May 2016 — till today, some 10 months later. In summary, I believe I acted then without caution, and probably will be more cautious going forward.”
How much it too much?
Zohra Chitalwala, Etiquette Expert
Since the time WhatsApp conversation became acceptable in a formal set-up, the lines between casual and formal talks have blurred. In such a scenario, etiquette expert Zohra Chitalwala suggests it becomes even more important to define borders. She says, “Any conversation which is to do with a professional set up (training, seminar or a corporate set-up) has to be formal. In Asian countries, it is considered to be rude to extend a hand for a handshake to a female colleague until she doesn't extend her hand. In terms of virtual communication, an exchange of sly smiles or winks is absolutely not allowed in a professional conversation. Even if you have been with your team/ boss or superiors for a long time and share a warm relationship with them, one needs to know where to draw the line.”
A man’s world?
Mitali Srivastava Hough, co-founder and managing partner, Utoepia Communicationz
Sexual harassment at work place is certainly overlooked, because most men and women don’t know what it really means. The ambiguity of various laws regarding this matter has made it subjective. I am often appalled at women more than men, because often I find women endorsing behavior that should be unacceptable to them. Sexual harassment is not just about physical violation; it can be verbal and emotional too. There is stigma around discussing this. Women who fight for their rights are often considered to be troublemakers in the system. We’re happy to put up posters, give a lecture or create a complaint cell in a company, but in reality there is major lack of empathy and awareness regarding sexual harassment.
