News that a South Asian superstar has copped a wave of racist and offensive abuse online during his current wildly successful tour of Australia is profoundly disappointing. But for members of the South Asian diaspora living in Australia, the trolling does not come as a surprise.

Punjabi pop star Diljit Dosanjh has been performing to sold-out venues and stadiums in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne during his Aura tour.

Diljit Dosanjh at New York’s MET Gala in May.Credit: Getty Images

Dosanjh is one of South Asia’s most successful artists. His songs top the charts, and he has amassed an extraordinarily large following online. His arrival in Australia is a moment of enormous pride for the diaspora.

But amid that joy, I was embarrassed and angry. Scrolling through Instagram, I came across a video of Dosanjh speaking backstage ahead of his recent Sydney concert. Candidly, he was discussing the racist drivel he had observed in social media coverage of his tour of Australia.

“Some agencies reported when I landed in Australia,” he said. “Someone sent me the comments people were making. People said things like, ‘the new Uber driver is........

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