Can you even imagine what is it like to receive an award from the royal British family?

Jane Chelliah-Manning is a proud Malaysian born, who serves the London government and recently had been contacted by the United Kingdom Cabinet Office about a prestigious award.

According to The Star, London-based Jane is an assistant director in the British government’s Department for Business. She will be receiving the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) from King Charles III for her work in civil service. The date to receive the award is yet to be determined.

Jane,59 also contributes to the BBC Asian Network on Asian women’s issues. It is reported that Jane’s contributions to civil service and British society as well as recognition as chair of a London-based charity for women with learning disabilities have led her to receive the award.

“It’s one of those rare moments in life when you get something you never dreamt would come your way. You never aimed for it. It’s other people who nominated you in secret. I never thought this would happen to me,” she said when contacted, by The Star.

She dedicates her achievement to her late father, John Chelliah, who had always pushed her to reach all of her goals, no matter how big it was. “My father was what I called a father feminist. He especially wanted to see his daughters do very well because he wanted us to have equal rights and our own careers,” she said. In the spirit of the New Year, Jane stated that her resolution is to make good use of her MBE. She added that her major goal has always been to serve the public and assist others. “This award confirms that I have the right values. My younger self would be very proud of me,” added Jane as she reveals that she had wanted to read law when she was younger.

The mother of one shared that she encountered many challenges, including racism, up until a few years ago. She shared several encounters with people who questioned whether she was a nanny for her 23-year-old daughter because of their different skin colours.

“I’m Indian and my husband is American. My daughter is fair, so I often get asked at the park if I’m her nanny. To me, that’s racism. I struggled to get used to a different culture. As for the food, I still eat curry every day and nasi lemak once a week,” added the Kuala Lumpur-born who hopes to visit Malaysia soon.

Jane is looking forward to meeting King Charles during the award ceremony. It will be her first meeting with British royalty after 41 years in the United Kingdom.

“I can’t imagine what the day will be like. I would probably go to sleep thinking, ‘Wow, how can a girl who left Malaysia at 18 achieve this at 59?’” she concluded.

Congratulations on your huge achievement Jane Chelliah-Manning.

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