American Idol contestant Gurpreet Singh Sarin, aka the Turbanator, says he didn’t face any racism on the reality singing competition. His observations are notable following the experience of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007.
On the show, she was bullied by the other contestants in what many saw as racist attacks. But the top 40 Idol contestant says his experience was very positive.
“I was conscious that there must be people who might be ignorant and racist and did not understand where I come from, but I was just focused on my singing, and moving on to the next level of competition,” Sarin told MSN.
In fact, Sarin said feedback he received from the audience showed he the popular show made him into a role model for other Indian Americans.
“I would get messages from my fans saying that being an Indian, I am encouraging them and I am their role model. For me that was a wonderful opportunity. I wasn’t even conscious how large a role model I had become,” Gurpreet said.
You can read about his future plans and the impact he felt he had on the show’s host, Ryan Seacrest and celebrity judges Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban, in MSN.