Tears Of Joy - And Sadness Too - As Indians Get A New Idol (Roundup)
Monday 24th of September 2007 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took time off to watch the show and so did millions of others in India, Nepal and across the seas in various time zones as Darjeeling boy Prashant Tamang ousted Shillong's Amit Paul to become 'Indian Idol 3'.
The prime minister and his family thoroughly enjoyed Sony TV's talent hunt that ended in a grand finale Sunday night at Exhibition Grounds in the national capital's Okhla area with thousands of fans cheering on their favourites.
Before the grand finale, the two singers met Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and sought their blessings.
Kolkala police constable Prashant, who walked away with a Rs.10 million contract with Sony and a Maruti SX4 car, defeated Amit Paul on the basis of audience votes - totalling a whopping 70 million SMS messages.
Bollywood star John Abraham and lyricist Javed Akhtar gave away the prizes after the pulsating climax to a show for which many thousands had auditioned.
Among the audience were the families of both participants, sometimes praying nervously, sometimes breaking into wide smiles.
The frenzy stretched far beyond the confines of the venue in Delhi.
In Darjeeling, Prashant's home town, it was as if the Queen of the Hills had finally got her prince.
It was the moment all Darjeeling had been waiting for. People rushed out of their homes, gathered in front of the Mall Road and embraced each other in joy. It was ecstasy at midnight as fireworks lit up the sky, gulal thickened the air and liquor flowed freely.
Huge processions of motorbikes and cars blew their horns and snaked across the hill town throughout Sunday night. Thousands braved the chill and participated in the revelry.
Prashant's crowning glory also electrified the Kolkata Police, of whose band he is the lead singer. The Bodyguard Police Line, where Prashant used to jam with his band, erupted in joy.
Similar scenes were seen in Kathmandu too where Nepalis celebrated their latest idol.
Ecstatic fans started bursting crackers while crowds danced on the streets, screaming the 24-year-old Nepali origin artist's name again and again in delight.
As the results were announced and the Darjeeling boy's mother put the Nepali dhaka topi -- that is part of the Nepali national dress -- on her son's head, Nepal went wild with pride and joy.
Despite the lateness of the hour, spontaneous processions marched through the streets not just in Kathmandu but also in Pokhara town and other areas.
The rallies were reminiscent of another national celebration last year when similar late night demonstrations erupted following King Gyanendra's decision to surrender the power he had seized through a coup and restore democracy.
Various organisations and individuals in Nepal had been raising funds to send SMS votes to help the boy from Tungsung village win. Determined teams even went to Darjeeling on the eve of the grand finale Sunday to vote for him from there after Nepal Telecom said its SMS service could not be used to send votes.
Nepal found a new icon in the small-town boy who had no formal training in music and was forced to take up a job early in life after the death of his father but still overcame great odds and nearly 30,000 aspirants to win.
Meghalaya, which had been praying fervently for its own boy Amit Paul to win, tearfully still called him Indian Idol.
Thousands of people had been singing and dancing to the accompaniment of drums and guitars in the streets of Shillong and most parts of Meghalaya since dusk Sunday. But when John Abraham declared Prashant the Indian Idol, the music was abruptly stilled.
The Meghalaya fans rallied fast, however.
'We are really taken aback by the result, but for us Amit is the winner, having won the hearts of millions of fans and more importantly, uniting the ethnically polarized northeast through music,' John F. Kharshiing, spokesperson of the Federation of Khasi States, the apex body campaigning for legal status for the durbars in Meghalaya, told IANS.
'Let's accept the reality, don't cry for me. I am soon coming back to Shillong. I really thank and love you all from the bottom of my heart for supporting me throughout my musical journey on Indian Idol,' Amit told IANS.
But people back home were in tears - hundreds of people, both young and old who remained awake to celebrate a possible victory broke down, some of them even wailing, unable to accept the verdict.
Whether Prashant or Amit really make it to the big league of singers is to be seen. For the moment, the duo - even loser Amit - can savour their moment of popularity and the few hours on a Sunday night when Indians all over tuned in to their tellies. Those moments will live on.
Monday 24th of September 2007
We Are Friends And We Will Be Friends: Prashant And Amit (Interview)
Monday 24th of September 2007 Till the last few minutes before Prashant Tamang was declared the third Indian Idol, he and Amit Paul, the best of friends anyway, kept standing and holding hands. And when Prashant won the title, the happiness and joy was noticeable on Amit's face too.
'I am really happy that my best friend has won the title, so what if I did not win, it has gone to the same house as he is my family,' Amit told IANS on Monday.
'For me both of us are winners and I would have been happy even if Amit would have won it, he has been with me since the beginning,' added Prashant.
Amid euphoria and screams of joy, Prashant was Sunday night named the new Indian Idol at the end of the third season of the hugely popular TV talent hunt show. He defeated his friend Amit Paul on the basis of audience votes - totalling a whopping 70 million SMSs.
Now, the doors are open, the birds are flying and the world is colourful for both of them after this dream-come-true event.
While Prashant got a one-year contract with contest organisers Sony, Amit is confident that he will also get a number of opportunities.
'Now there is no looking back, I want to win hearts of millions of people with the help of my talent and I hope this will happen,' Amit maintained.
But for Prashant there is a matter of concern: he has to take permission from his Kolkota Police employers to make his passion a profession.
'I will go back to Kolkota and take the permission of my seniors to go on singing,' he said.
Prashant, a 24-year-old Kolkata Police constable of Nepali origin, hails from Shillong while Amit, also 24, is from Darjeeling.
During the course of the competition, the harsh comments of the judges spurred Prashant to work harder on ironing out his weaknesses and this helped him further groom his skills.
'I never used to get upset when Anu (Malik) sir, Alisha (Chinoy) ma'am and Javed (Akhtar) sir use to point out my mistakes, I am thankful to them for this as it helped me improve a lot on my skills,' he said.
The two singers have different expectations from Indian Idol-4 next year. One says it's the best as it is and the other feels changes are required.
'I don't think any change is required. Indian Idol is best as it is,' said Amit.
Prashant felt the contest 'should go to small towns too as there is a lot of talent there. Till the time they explore this they wont find the true talent.'
Prashant attributed the bulk of his 70 million SMSs to his friends in the Kolkota Police and to Mayor T.B. Rai of Mirik town in West Bengal.
'I am really thankful to my Kolkota police friends who encouraged me to participate in the show,' he said.
Shiv Shakti
Music Corner
