Within days, it garnered more than 374,000 views on social media platforms. Vaneesha herself did not expect the massive response when she decided to do this.

The gentle voice with a smiling face belied the pain exuded from her carefully crafted words, reaching out particularly to Malaysians who are privileged racially and socially. It was deep and cut like a knife in an absolutely non-confrontational manner.

Titled “A piece to my racially and socially privileged friends”, she starts off emphatically in a tone that can break the hearts of the marginalised minority communities in their own country.

“All my life, I have been that muhibbah (harmonious) Indian friend, you know, the one Indian friend that exists for someone from a different race (who) can say ‘Eh, I do have an Indian friend what. That Neesha. Your BM is so good’, when I speak Bahasa Melayu.

“But all these years, I’ve never heard anyone saying ‘Neesha, I’ve noticed that teachers are constantly targeting your Indian friends. Actually you are more deserving of getting scholarships. I feel bad to see you suffering like this’.

“’Neesha, I am sorry your people are getting killed in custody, and that you feel unsafe in your own country’.”

Her content had all the elements of inequity that is taking place in the country in the name of positive discrimination, but her class act in her choice of words and a gently persuasive argument drew so many positive responses from the privileged class of Malaysians.

FMT reached out to Vaneesha to find out what prompted her to come out with the video.

“Fortunately for me, it reached the hearts of many Malaysians. Many friends from the Malay and Chinese communities reached out to me, with some apologising for taking me for granted,” she said.

All she wanted to do was to channel the frustration and hurt experienced by the Indians through an empathetic and creative piece. The background setting in the clip was also intended – a ray of light on her face symbolising a ray of hope for the minority communities.

“I admit it was scripted with much care – in an assertive and emotive yet compassionate piece with hopes it would trigger more reflective conversations with friends from privileged backgrounds, who can do more to bridge the gap between us.

“Like many others, I faced years of suppressed feelings from being oppressed, prejudiced against and trying so hard to assimilate to move forward in our society to hide this ‘otherness’ which is essentially my Indian identity,” she said.

Vaneesha, who has friends of many hues and from different backgrounds, said she was hurt from dismissal and lack of acknowledgement and action from privileged friends, adding that this had intensified during this pandemic with marginalised communities being the most impacted.

Describing the Merdeka advertisements as “tone deaf” and which continued to perpetuate harmful narratives about marginalised communities, she said it “tokenises” them once a year for content that does not dignify them nor tell the stories of their lived realities

“I saw the need to address the elephant in the room, that is how our country’s socio-economic and political climate directly impacts marginalised communities.”

Talking about the responses she had from Malaysians, Vaneesha said most of them were on Instagram which consisted mainly of the younger generation, “with some being apologetic and the marginalised people resonating with my message”.

“My privileged friends from all races responded mostly positively. They said they reflected on my message and sincerely apologised for their ignorance and lack of sensitivity.

“Interestingly, they admitted that it shouldn’t be the work of marginalised people to talk about the marginalisation they face. Many said they would have to do better with the privilege they have. I’m a bit more hopeful, thanks to the responses I received,” she said.

Vaneesha said some pointed out that the privileged ones are mainly from the T20 community and not those from other groups of Malaysians, which she reckons comes from them misunderstanding privilege for financial freedom.

“Some of the others on the app have been quick to call out how it’s more than that – it’s the accesses, perks and advantages one has in a society, via systems that favour them and disadvantage another in order to preserve that privilege.”

Among others, she ends her message with this impassioned plea: “I also think it’s important to mention that there is nothing wrong with privilege. And this isn’t me attacking you for having it. But, as I share this piece, I gently ask you this: Would privilege still be privilege if everyone had it or would it just be basic rights and necessities?

“Is there really not enough to go around? And is it so wrong for the accesses that you have to be the accesses that everyone else has, too?”

She may not have realised it, but the timing of Vaneesha’s clip goes well with Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s tagline – the Malaysian Family. In essence, this was what was embodied in her powerful message.