New Delhi: The novel Coronavirus outbreak is wreaking havoc globally. While enough preventive health measures have been suggested by health experts, the people across the world are in state of panic. A few Northeast students, who live in Delhi, recently faced racism as they were teased and called names amidst COVID-19 outbreak in India. Singer-actor Meiyang Chang, who rose to fame after participating in Sony TV's popular singing reality show 'Indian Idol 3', too has shared a hurtful incident of racism that he recently faced.



Meiyang Chang, who is of Chinese descent, has revealed that two guys on a speeding bike in Mumbai called him 'corona' recently.

Talking about the incident, he informed a leading daily that, "I go for a jog every day near my house in Mumbai. The other day, two guys sped past me on a bike, screaming ‘corona’ and laughing. I wanted to scream back and hurl the choicest of gaalis, but I didn’t see any point in it. How do you punish people for their stupidity or ignorance? Over the years, I have become used to these comments and yes, they are hurtful. I try to move on and be optimistic, but it does affect you."

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He had been at the receiving end of such incidents in the past too. He told TOI that, "I have been called Chinese, Chinki and Nepali in the past. I feel that as a country, we are casually racist, be it on the basis of colour, caste, or ethnicity."

This is indeed disheartening.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India stands at 513. Eleven people have succumbed to the virus till now. Amid the rise in novel coronavirus cases in the country, PM Narendra Modi to address the nation again at 8pm today (March 24).

Coming back to Meiyang Chang, he went on to be a part of various other TV shows as host as well as contestant after ''Indian Idol 3'. He featured in 'Indian Idol 4' (host), 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 4' (winner), 'India's Got Talent 3' (Host), 'Khatron Ke Khiladi 6' (first runner-up) among others.

He made his Bollywood debut with Shahid Kapoor-Anushka Sharma's 'Badmaash Company' in 2010 and later did films like 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy', 'Sultan' and 'Bharat'. He also acted in few digital shows including 'Man's World', 'Untag', 'Love, Lust & Confusion' and 'Bombers'.

Stay tuned for more updates!