Whatever it takes to make Amit the Idol

Shillong, Sept. 9: Cheers rang out in a thunderous roar across Shillong and reverberated across the entire Northeast last night as local lad Amit Paul crossed the penultimate hurdle in one of India's more popular music talent hunts on television.

Only Darjeeling boy Prashant Tamang now remains between Amit and the title of Indian Idol 3. So, is Meghalaya confident of seeing him through with a barrage of SMS votes and phone calls? You bet!

Today, people cut across religious lines to attend special Sunday prayers in churches across the state for Amit's "final success". The euphoria continued throughout the day and conversations in every household and at each street-corner adda revolved around only one thing: Amit.

Who would have imagined that the boy next door would become such a household name in so short a time? Who would believe that he would keep the whole of Shillong awake every Friday night until Saturday morning to vote for him?

Week after week, people of all ages — and from all communities — have been punching their mobile phones to vote "AMIT" at 52525.

On Friday, Amit sang two numbers, the Kishore Kumar classic Kora kagaz hain ye man mera and the peppy Sonu Nigam number Yeh dil. As usual, the judges were effusive and the audience insisted on an encore.

But since votes decide who wins in this contest, merit very often gets voted out — like the hugely talented Emon Chatterjee of Bengal was last night.

For Amit, votes have not been a problem so far. Every Friday, PCOs "sponsored" by political leaders and organisations remain open through the night to enable people to vote for him. When Amit visited Shillong on August 31 after five months in Mumbai, it was the homecoming of a hero. His arrival seemed to bridge the divide between tribals and non-tribals, leading the government to anoint him Meghalaya's ambassador of peace, communal harmony and excellence.

Coming from a humble background, Amit has always preferred music to studies. He started off as a singer with a band that performs at small functions. When he realised that singing in Shillong would not take him far, Amit shifted base to Guwahati.

Acquaintances say he sold his music system to finance his trip to Calcutta and then Mumbai to audition for Indian Idol. Voted out once, he came back through a wild card and has not looked back since. His flawless, mellifluous rendition of songs is the result of constant riyaz, deep breathing exercises and the single-mindedness of a nun in prayer.

Ask the legions of fans who see in him a reflection of their own aspirations and they will tell you that winning is Amit's thoh shun (destiny).

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070910/asp/guwahati/story_829 7692.asp