Will this be the next Indian Idol?

Back | Next Will this be the next Indian Idol? Prashant Tamang, 24. Darjeeling This is one story worth buying movie rights for. "I joined the Calcutta police after my father's death," says the seemingly timid Prashant. "He was a policeman and I got the job. I used to sing and in 2002, the orchestra was formed. I asked my officers, pleaded with them to give me a chance, so they heard me sing and I was selected as a singer. His colleagues at the force pushed him to try out for Idol. "I was not interested. I used to think I can't do it. I'm not a trained singer, so how can I? Everybody forced me to try it once. So I did," he adds. And now he's here, jostling for microphone room and with a valid shot at being Idol -- a far cry from life in the Special Action Force, escorting ministers and visiting dignitaries. "I really thank the Calcutta police officers for giving me this chance, and supporting me so strongly. They helped and supported me a lot, and here I must thank all my Indian and Nepali supporters for helping me reach here, and I'll keep trying my best." Prashant is putting the fact that Idol's contestants come from varied backgrounds to good use. "People here are from different places," he says. "I'm learning so much about my of new friends. I'm learning languages also. I already knew Bengali, but my friend Amit from Shillong taught me some Assamese. And I've learnt some Punjabi too." He agrees this is a fairytale journey so far, and at this point, isn't that convinced about the ending. "Idol or not, that's very far away. Right now, it's a huge deal for me to be on the same stage, reaching this far," he says. It's a different world right now, and he is enjoying the moment. "Here, there is no duty. I do miss my duties, chatting with my colleagues, that was a different life. And this is very different," he laughs. "Now in malls, people recognise you, so that feels good."

Will this be the next Indian Idol?
Amit Paul, 24. Shillong

A conversation with Amit means a slight sing-song tone and a near-Italian accent, especially because of his soft Ts. You can also expect the dialogue to be liberally doused with the word 'Naalayak,' as in wastrel, the youngster's term of choice for self-description.

He talks of his family business, the garment stores in Shillong and Siliguri, where he sat and idled away the time. "It really didn't matter whether I was at the till or not," he grins. "I didn't make any difference."

He thought about heading to Idol last year as well, but 'as I told you, I'm a nalaayak, so I couldn't reach there in time."

After school and college, he didn't get down to doing anything constructive. What Amit did do, though, was sing. "I have sung in so many languages: my local language in Shillong, Khasi; then Nepali I learnt from Shillong; Assamese I learnt from Guwahati; then Bodo languages -- there's a tea-garden language called Bagaaniya, a mixture of Bengali, Hindi, Assamese and Oriya, and I've learnt some Telugu songs," he says breathlessly, repeating the word Te-le-gu to himself, as if tripping on its rhythm. "And now by God's grace I am here, and struggling to become the Indian Idol."

Playback singing has been a longtime dream for Amit. "I never got the chance to learn music until now. I came to Mumbai lots of times. I have lots of friends, people in the business who can help me. But I knew that until I made my own identity, I couldn't establish myself," he says. "People should know me by my talent."

So Paul helped his father with his business for a while, realising that people in Shillong like Western culture and Western songs, while he wanted to sing Indian pop.

He talks about his Idol auditions in great detail, reaching late, wearing 'the jeans I wear at home, and thankfully good chappals,' and a 12-hour overnight wait at the venue to make sure he was first in line.

"I wasn't. A girl beat me to it. But second wasn't so bad -- for day two of the auditions," he says.

Now, everything has changed. "I don't know how Shillong is right now. My family and friends are so excited. My posters are all over! T-shirts, pamphlets, bumper stickers!"

"When I was in Mumbai last time, when I'd go to the big malls, nobody noticed me, nobody gave me a second glance. Now, they yell wow," he cries. "I'm signing autographs!"

hey thanks a lot.................wishing both amit and prashant all the best for the results.........winner will be one but i hope that both of them have a bright future 😊
and i hope that amit wins ii3 😊 😉

Originally posted by: lrllover

hey thanks a lot.................wishing both amit and prashant all the best for the results.........winner will be one but i hope that both of them have a bright future 😊
and i hope that amit wins ii3 😊 😉

VEry well written....i too would love if Amit wins the title but i wish best for both of them. Both are lovely human beings and may they have a bright future ahead.