Prashant is in the hearts of all

Darjeeling : Roki Man Rai has travelled for two days carrying the hopes and aspirations of his fellow villagers.

A resident of Damak, a village in eastern Nepal, Rai has come all the way to Darjeeling exclusively to vote for Indian Idol aspirant Prashant Tamang.

“We in Nepal cannot vote for Prashant but he has now become a household name in our country. I have come here just to register my vote through SMS and express our solidarity,” Rai told The Telegraph.

Prashant, who works with Calcutta Police, has already booked his place among the top five contestants in the music reality show and needs votes through text messages to maintain his position. The voting takes place every Friday night. An Indian Idol will not only be given a contract worth Rs 1 crore by Sony but he will also be allowed to cut an album for himself.

Rai got in touch with his friends who have a band called Astra in Damak and appealed to people to donate money for buying recharge vouchers necessary for voting.

“This was on Wednesday and within one day we collected money that corresponds to nearly Rs 4,000 in Indian currency. Once I go back to Damak, we will conduct a fundraising programme on an elaborate scale and collect at least Rs 30,000 for the next voting round,” he said.

The youth from Damak met Prashant’s family during the day and handed over the donated money.

However, it is not only Damak where people have come forward to support Prashant.

A group of people from Sansara in the Dharan district of Nepal also reached Darjeeling to vote for Prashant. Members of a cultural association — Tamang Gedung Sang — the people handed over a sum of Rs 3,000 to the Tamang family. They said they would be staying here overnight to vote for Prashant.

Kathmandu-based singer Babu Bokati also came over today and performed at Chowrastha along with local singers like Aditya Raya to garner support.

Source: The Telegraph