A video of a cop laughing after the death of Indian student Jaanhavi Kandula, who was hit by a Seattle Police officer's vehicle, has invited the rage of many on the internet. Sid Sriram, an Indian musician who was brought up in the US, took to his social media account and penned an emotional note as he mourned the death of Kandula. He also wrote how 'brown folks' in the US are a 'model minority' and are not allowed to 'ruffle any feathers'. He wrote, “I've been quiet on here the past couple [of] days, the Jaahnavi Kandula news fuc*** me up. Many brown folk who immigrated to the US in the late 8o's, early 9o's or later have unconsciously fit into a construct that was created for us called the 'model minority'. The expectation is that we are to be a quiet, passive and well-behaved bunch who keep their heads down, do exemplary work and not ruffle any feathers.” Jaanhavi Kandula was killed in January this year after she was hit by an overspeeding police vehicle. Recently, a bodycam video of the police officer belonging to the Seattle Police Department emerged where he can be heard saying, "Yeah, just write a cheque. USD 11,000. She was 26 anyway, she had limited value.” Sid Sriram criticised the insensitive remarks made by the police officer, highlighting that such comments reflect how the South Asian population is sometimes perceived in the United States. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sid Sriram (@sidsriram) The musician continued, “Now, while I do understand that this position is still one of privilege and that there are various groups of people around the world who face realities far far graver, this instance/context is still one that must be spoken about. The "value" that disgusting cop spoke about and the flippance with which he said this is a direct reflection of how we as a population are viewed by many here.” He concluded, “The only thought that keeps recurring in my mind is this: directly fight the model minority myth, f*** being passive. Be loud, take up space, speak up in all ways micro and macro, actively fight against the idea that we must conform to any stereotype, wear all aspects of your individual identity on your sleeve without apology. Our value is infinitely powerful. Prayers up for her family real prayers, no lip service.” Sid Sriram has sung the Malayalam song 'Uyire' from Gauthamante Radham. He also has the Telugu song 'Kola Kale Ila' from Varudu Kavalenu to his credit. He also sang a couple of songs for the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Jhund. Earlier, celebrities like Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar have also mourned the death of Kandula.
