PUBLISHED ONOctober 25, 2024 3:55 AMByKhoo Yi-HangSingaporean rapper Subhas Nair confronted a woman at Bugis Junction after she allegedly passed a racist comment about him, calling him a "ghost", according to a TikTok video uploaded by his sister Preeti Nair on Thursday (Oct 24).
In the video, Nair wrote that he was walking into a retail outlet at Bugis Junction and was headed to the men's section when he overheard a woman speaking to her son, telling him in Mandarin that there was a "ghost behind".
"I was on my headphones and thought she was complaining about the staff at first, but felt that it was oddly specific that she said 'ghost'," he said.
"So I disconnected my Bluetooth and heard it again, directed at me."
Nair, whose full name is Subhas Govin Prabhakar Nair, added that the woman had been constantly glancing at him, hurrying her son away from him.
Sensing something amiss, Nair decided to confront the woman and her son, recording the exchange.
The 32-year-old tried approaching her politely, asking her to clarify what she had said to her son.
However, he was met with annoyance as the woman distanced herself from him, responding: "What?"
Speaking to the woman's son, Nair then asked: "Did you hear what she said? She said 'ghost is behind' - you think I don't know how to speak Mandarin?
"How can you say that about someone? What did I do?"
The woman briefly apologises and admits then that Nair didn't do anything to deserve the comment before attempting to walk away.
Dissatisfied, Nair said that what she did was "not okay" and gave chase.
Eventually, the woman walks off camera, leaving her son behind, who Nair then approaches.
"That's not right, I just need an apology," Nair tells the son.
Immediately, the son apologises for his mother's behaviour.
"I'm sorry that happened to you, it's actually not right," the son adds. "I've been living through all this... I really appreciate you speaking up."
Nair clarified if the woman has a "problem" with other races, to which the son replies: "No, it's just her mentality, it's something that cannot change."
This is the first time that someone has spoken up to her, the son also says.
Understanding the son's situation, Nair then flips the script, saying that he feels bad for him.
"These words have no meaning to me, I don't live with her," Nair says. "I hope you're okay."
The video ends as the two part on good terms, with Nair heaving a sigh.
AsiaOne has reached out to Nair for comment.
This isn't the first time Nair has expressed his dissatisfaction regarding racism allegedly directed at him and minority races in Singapore.
Alongside his sister, Nair had posted a music video to YouTube containing the lyrics of "Chinese people always out here f***ing it up", CNA reported in July last year.
He also made further comments on social media which he felt was "calling out racism and Chinese privilege".
Nair was later charged in court for attempting to promote ill will among racial and religious groups and found guilty of four such charges on Jul 18, 2023, according to CNA.
He was handed a six-week jail sentence last September, reported The Straits Times.
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khooyihang@asiaone.com
