Kerala-based chef and digital creator Karthikeyan Selvaraj responded to a social media user who mocked his skin tone, listing several prominent figures he has served during his career.

Earlier this week, Selvaraj shared an Instagram video showing how to prepare street-style chicken fried rice. The recipe video attracted significant attention and had received around 129,000 views when a user posted a derogatory comment about his skin tone.

The user, identified as ‘ankit_gupta0716’, wrote, “Aapka haath bht kala hai...mai ni khaunga aapke haath ka,” meaning, “Your hand is very dark, I won’t eat food cooked by you.”

Rather than responding directly to the comment, Selvaraj addressed it through a separate Instagram post.

Chef lists prominent guests he has served

In his response, Selvaraj wrote, “Well, well, this dark-skinned chef has served the following,” before listing several prominent people he said he had served during his career.

His list included “a couple of heads of government in India”, “a couple of Presidents of India”, Prince Charles and the King of Belgium.

He also referred to guests he had served around the world and concluded, “Well, the list is too big; it won’t fit in the description.”

The response subsequently attracted widespread attention on social media.

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What Karthikeyan Selvaraj said

Speaking to India Today about the response, Selvaraj said the purpose of his post was to raise awareness about bullying and racist comments.

“The intent behind sharing the post on social media is to bring awareness that bullying or racist comments will not be taken kindly,” he said.

He added that such incidents should also serve as an example for creators and people aspiring to become creators. According to Selvaraj, comments or actions of this nature should not simply be ignored but brought to light to discourage them from being repeated.

He further said, “Most importantly, an individual’s skin colour, height, weight or looks should not be a deciding factor in determining what they can be in life.”

Who is Karthikeyan Selvaraj?

Selvaraj was born in Tamil Nadu and began his professional career with the Taj Group of Hotels. He has worked at properties in Chennai, Kochi and Madurai.

Alongside his hospitality career, he is also a digital creator who regularly shares cooking and recipe videos on Instagram.

His Instagram account has more than 818,000 followers, with much of his content focused on recipes and cooking-related videos.

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Why the response has resonated online

Selvaraj’s response has drawn attention because it shifted the focus from a personal insult to his professional achievements. Instead of engaging with the troll over the comment itself, he highlighted the people he said he had served during his career.

The incident also reflects the wider problem of appearance-based and colour-based comments on social media. Selvaraj’s own explanation makes clear that his intention was to challenge such behaviour and encourage creators not to treat bullying as acceptable online conduct.

His message that skin colour, height, weight or appearance should not determine a person’s potential also became a central part of the discussion surrounding the viral post.