Prashant, Ankita & Deepali in Nepal ....

Kathmandu/Siliguri:: The triumph of Prashant Tamang, a constable in the West Bengal Police, in the Indian Idol music talent hunt sparked wild celebrations here, with jubilant fans of the young singer terming his win a "matter of pride for all Nepalese people".

Some 1,500 enthusiastic boys and girls gathered in front of a large screen in Kathmandu's Basantapur Durbarsqure on Sunday night to watch the grand finale of the over two-month-long talent show, being telecast by Sony television channel.

As the 24-year-old Tamang, hailing from Darjeeling, beat rival Amit Paul to wear the crown, youths cheered and opened champaign bottles. "Prashant's victory is a matter of pride for all Nepalese people," one of the fans said. People took out victory rallies in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Pokhara, Biratnagar and Dharan, while Nepal's major dailies like The Kathmandu Post, The Himalayan Times and The Rising Nepal published it on their front-page. In Kathmandu and towns bordering India, people had collected money to help campaign for Tamang, while some even went to India to cast votes for him through SMS. Observers here believe that Baba Ramdev's ongoing yoga classes in Kathmandu and Tamang's victory have strengthened people-to-people ties between Nepal and India.

Meanwhile, Tamang, accompanied by Indian Idol finalists Ankita and Deepali, are expected to visit Nepal next week to give a live performance. Sources said, Surya Nepal, an Indo-Nepal joint venture company, will sponsor the show. They are expected to stage two shows — one in Kathmandu on Sept 29 and another in Pokhara the next day.