Booze control until end of Indian Idol Finale

Darjeeling / Kolkata : Indian Idol contestant Prashant Tamang surely enjoys a huge fan base in his hometown, Darjeeling, but the frenzy over his selection to the finals, has the district administration worried.

Fearing raucous parties, it has ordered all liquor shops to remain closed from September 22 to September 24 from 5:00 pm onwards. The finals for Indian Idol are scheduled on September 23.

“We have received reports that in some localities people especially the young crowd is getting out of control. So we have taken this decision to close all off-shops from September 22 to September 24 from 5:00 pm onwards, so that we don't have to face any untoward incident,” says District Magistrate, Darjeeling, Rajesh Pandey.

The decision comes as a surprise to both customers and liquor shop owners.
“I don’t think that there is going to be much of a difference. If they want to shut liquor shops that they should issue a notice,” says a liquor owner, Kishore.

But the prospect of a dry celebration isn't dampening the spirits of Prashant's fans.
Hundreds of them have been sending in their votes for him round the clock through SMS and phone.

Source: The Sikkim Times

Sikkim govt. to bear voting cost for Prashant Tamang

Gangtok , Sikkim Sept 18 : Mobile recharge cards in pockets and nimble fingers on their phones, Prashant Tamang’s fans are gearing up for one last push that will make their hero an Idol. The episode on Prashant Tamang telecast yesterday on Sony Television clearly displayed close emotional bond Sikkim has created in heart and mind of hill idol. He spoke about coming to Sikkim on his first ever visit on Sikkim perhaps as an Indian Idol. He sought support of Sikkimese people once again through a video appeal through Sikkim Journalist delegation who went to Kolkatta to attend Live Indian Idol show held last Saturday.

Menawhile,In a startling revelation by Shri B.B.Gooroong, advisor to Sikkim Chief Minister to journalists it has come to surface that most of the free telephone booths functioning at Namchi, Jorethang, Gangtok and other places of Sikkim were put up by Government of Sikkim as it would be bearing all the burden of their costs in sending SMS's to their favourite contestant Prashant .

However, it may noted that many associations, clubs and other organisations have mushroomed lately to collect funds from Public for Vote campaign of Prashant. It seems Sikkim would be biggest factor in assuring a win for PrashantTamang as next Indian Idol.

Mani Kumar Subba,Congress MP has donated Rs.15 lakhs for Vote campaign for Prashant.

Source: The Sikkim Times

Siliguri streets flooded with Prashant Tamang fans

Prashant Tamang can depend on a lot of votes from Siliguri.

Hundreds of fans of Prashant took to the streets today, holding up posters and banners, organising rallies and campaigning in favour of the Indian Idol contender. The final round of voting starts this evening after the two remaining contestants, Prashant and Amit Paul, perform one last time.

Amit, too, has a Siliguri connection, having spent his childhood years here before shifting to Shillong. However, the few posters and banners in his support seemed to be swamped by those in Prashant’s favour.

Members of Netrabindu Club of Salugara, who have formed a Prashant Fan Club, took out a bike and car rally across the city this afternoon.

“We are confident that he will emerge as the winner,” said club member Pankaj Pradhan. “Nevertheless, we don’t want to take any chances and want to ensure that people send more votes.”

With 65 motorcycles and 10 cars, the 500-odd rallyists also went to the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited office to request for uninterrupted power supply when the show is telecast on Sony this evening.

“We have also requested officials of BSNL and other cellphone service providers to keep their lines clear so that people can vote as much as they want to when voting begins today,” Pradhan said.

Bengal urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya came out strongly in support of the hill talent.

“Like all his fans, I too want to see him emerge as the winner. His mellifluous voice has indeed mesmerised me,” the minister said.

BSNL authorities and other mobile phone service providers are playing safe.

“Since thousands of messages will hit our 50-odd base trans-receiving stations in the hills once the voting lines open, we have increased their capacity by three times,” said M.K. Nandi, the subdivisional engineer (public relations) of the Siliguri telecom district of BSNL. “In addition, all the 47 telephone exchanges in the hills have been put on alert. Employees have been deputed with necessary spares to avoid any problem.”

BSNL officials requested Prashant fans not to get impatient if there is a delay in getting the delivery reports of SMS votes. “Once a vote is sent, it will surely be delivered,” said an official.

Other mobile service providers, too, said they are ready to handle the messages that their customers would send in favour of the “new hero of Darjeeling”.

Source: The Telegraph

Vote for Prashant Tamang

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Namchi to fully support Prashant

Namchi , Sikkim : An emergency meeting was held here today at the Community Hall to discuss and deliberate on a new campaign strategy for Prashant Tamang in his final bid to the Indian Idol title.

This move has been triggered off by the result of the last gala round which saw another contender for the title, Amit Paul from Shillong, Meghalaya, securing the maximum votes. Prashant came second in the votes tally.

Prior to this, a public announcement was made around the town urging the local people to attend the meeting.

The meeting was attended by people from different sections of the society in a show of comradeship and unity, which resolved to heartily vote for vote and make sure that he does not lose out on the coveted title.

During the meeting, Prashant hailed as not only the one who unified the entire Nepali speaking people but also the one who upheld the identity of the Nepali community in the country.

Reacting on the news item published in one of the local Nepali dailies, which read “Prashant Indian Idol baney Meghalaya bata Nepali Khedeney,” the meeting decided to give their reaction by voting more for Prashant than retaliating in the same way. The news item suggested that people of Meghalaya may force all Nepali-speaking populace residents to leave the State if Prashant won the title.

Meanwhile, people from the neighbouring places like Kurseong, Darjeeling and various other associations and NGOs are also working towards ensuring Prashant’s win in different ways.

Source: Sikkim Express

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

Song Campaign to vote for Prashant Tamang

Darjeeling : Three singers from the hills have lent their voice to support Prashant Tamang, who has reached the Top Six at Indian Idol.

Sagar Bal and Kiran Waiba, who as Sagar-Kiran have seven hit Nepali albums under their belt, have joined hands with another singer, Anurag Waiba, to come up with a one-song video album dedicated to Prashant.

The proceeds of the album will be handed over to Prashant’s family to buy mobile recharge coupons, so that a dedicated group of volunteers can keep sending text messages to vote for the boy from Darjeeling.

Each contestant’s fate at the nationally televised talent hunt depends on the number of audience votes he or she can garner after every performance.

The album, which is in Hindi and called Lakho dil ki dharkan hamara Prashant Tamang, hit the market today and has been flying off the shelves. “The album is priced Rs 100, but we have decided to keep only Rs 25 to recover the investment. The rest will be given to Prashant’s family,” said Sagar.

A month ago, members of the Gorkha community living here as well as abroad had donated money with the same aim. The family members of Prashant in turn had formed an informal committee to manage the SMS voting process.

Darjeeling municipal commissioner Tenzing Khambachay, a close family friend who is monitoring the use of recharge coupons, said: “We will spend the money in the same way we did earlier. It is really heartening to see people coming forward to help their hero.”

The 15-minute song has been shot in different parts of the hills, including monasteries, churches, temples and mosques, with different communities in traditional attire drumming up support for the Calcutta Police constable.

Sagar, who like Kiran is in his mid-thirties, said the idea of the album germinated after he heard a comment that artists from the hills were not coming forward to help Prashant. “This really rankled and I got hold of other singers to come up with this album,” said Sagar. Ejazz Ali of Strings 786 Audio Station, a recording studio in Darjeeling, not only wrote the lyrics in Hindi but also composed and provided music to the album. Amar Jain produced it.

Various other people, along with local TV channels, also contributed and it took only 20 days to make the album.

Source: The Telegraph

Voting Campaign for Prashant Tamang

Kalimpong: A massive rally in support of Indian Idol contestant Prashant Tamang wound its way through the streets of this hill town today with his mother Indira and elder sister Archana in town.

Braving a light shower, Prashant’s fans, including a huge contingent of students, went around the town shouting slogans in support of the policeman who has become the hero of the hills.

“SMS in favour of Prashant” and “Prashant you march forward, we are with you,” shouted the rallyists as people lining the streets voiced their approval.

A team from Darjeeling, led by his mother and sister, rode in an open jeep escorted by fans on motorcycles and a long queue of students in the rear. “If he is crowned the Indian Idol, it would not be his win alone, but that of the entire hills,” his mother said later at an interactive session with journalists.

Indira recalled how her son used to always have a song on his lips ever since he was five years old. She added that whenever she chided him for focusing too much on singing, Prashant’s stock answer was that he would one day become famous and come on TV.

The rally proved to be an emotional roller-coaster ride for Indira. At one point she could not hold back her tears as the occasion got to her. “Prashant was seven years old when his father died. Only I know how difficult it was to bring up Prashant and his two elder sisters,” said Indira.

Asked whose singing she liked among the rivals of Prashant, she named Richa and Abhishek, but added that all were equally good. “I am, however, hopeful that Prashant will be the next Indian Idol,” she said.

Prashant’s sister Archana, though, shot down talks of her contesting in the next edition of Indian Idol. “Unlike my brother and elder sister, I can’t sing. But I can dance,” she said with a smile. “She will be contesting in Boogie Woogie (a dance contest on television),” joked Tshering Topgay, a resident of Kalimpong and the main man behind today’s rally.

Indira said Prashant once got a week’s break from duty for performing at a police programme in Calcutta. If the massive support the shy constable is enjoying right now is anything to go by, the entire hills would be celebrating for weeks together should he win the coveted crown.

Source: The Telegraph

Despite odds Prashant excels in Indian Idol 2007

Darjeeling: The singing hero, Prashant Tamang, from Darjeeling has gone one step forward in Indian Idol, despite a hitch in the mass voting plan from the hills.

Prashant Tamang, a constable with Calcutta Police and a resident of Toongsoong here, got through the voting round of the national talent hunt today though all the residents of the town could not vote for him.

After beating around 25,000 contenders from across the country, Tamang now has to defeat 17 opponents before he can become the next Idol. At this stage, Tamang’s hopes are pinned on his popularity, that is, the number of votes he gets through text messages on cellphones and calls from land phones. The facility for the last round was open from 9 pm on June 1 to 9 am the next day.

“While we could not send text messages through Aircel, Reliance agents here did not have enough refill vouchers in the town. If people turn ‘sentimental’ in the event of Prashant losing at the competition, the operators will themselves have to face the consequences,” Tenzing Khambachay, the Darjeeling municipality ward commissioner, had said before the voting results were announced today. Khambachay is heading an informal committee, formed to urge residents to vote for Tamang.

The residents have even accused Reliance and Aircel of “conspiring” against them and alleged that “their act almost snuffed out the hill’s Indian Idol hope”.

“We hope they will co-operate with us in the next voting rounds,” Khambachay said.

A representative of one of the accused cellphone service providers, however, said the problem was over and the vouchers would now be available. “Our vouchers had run out of stock from a few areas, but we have replenished them. It will not be a problem anymore,” said a Reliance executive from Siliguri.

Despite the hitch in the cellphone services, Tamang sailed through the voting round this time, the result of which was declared tonight. The constable became one of the last 18 contestants at the camp.

For the next rounds of voting, the committee has planned programmes to garner support for Tamang. The members have already sought permission from the Darjeeling municipality to start making announcements over the public address system across the town. “Prashant’s mother will go across Darjeeling in a van, fitted with mikes. The rest of the hills will also do their bits to drum up support for their idol,” said Khambachey. Residents of Toongsoong are already bringing out rallies almost every night.

Source: The Telegraph

Darjeeling to support its Indian Idol Boy

Darjeeling: People in the hill town will be awake throughout the night tomorrow, sending messages and making phone calls to help their neighbourhood boy become the singing hero of the nation.

Committees have been formed and an action plan drawn up to vote for Prashant Tamang — a 24-year-old from Toongsoong here — as he climbs up the ladder at Indian Idol, one of the biggest singing talent-hunt contests in the country. After beating around 25,000 hopefuls from across the country, Tamang, a constable with Calcutta Police, now has only 27 opponents to deal with to become the next Indian Idol.

In this round, Tamang’s fate depends on the number of votes he gets through SMS texts and calls from landlines and the residents here have things planned out to keep the small town dream alive.

“Voting lines for the contest will remain open from 9 pm tomorrow to 9 am the next day (June 1-2) and we will ensure that we are all there to vote for him throughout the night. One person can vote unlimited number of times,” said Tenzing Khambachey, the commissioner of Ward 14, who is heading the informal committee. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our boy and we cannot let him down. We have even sent people to places like Tezpur in Assam to mobilise support for Prashant. Relatives, friends and residents of Darjeeling staying across the country are calling us to express support.”

Back at Tamang’s home in Toongsoong, hundreds of well-wishers are trooping in everyday to wish his family luck. “I thank the police department for making him the lead singer at the Calcutta Police Orchestra, which gave him an opportunity to test his skill along with the best from the country,” said Tamang’s mother Rupa.

His father, Madan Tamang, had died while in service with the Calcutta Police and Tamang, who had then just finished his Class X exams from St Robert’s School, Darjeeling, had to join the force in 2000 for a living. “He never told us that he was trying his luck at the Indian Idol. We learnt about it only after he was selected. I would ask Prashant to take proper training to hone his skills,” said Rupa.

Volunteers have plastered the town with festoons, urging people to vote for their friend. In order to ensure that Tamang does not miss out a single vote from the region, pamphlets have been distributed across the hills, urging residents to send their votes through landline phones if they did not have mobiles. Telephone booth-owners have also been requested to keep their shops open as late as possible tomorrow.

“Many may not know how to vote and some may not be able to send SMS texts. We are asking social organisations to teach everyone how to send their votes correctly, either through landlines or cellphones,” said Khambachey.

Darjeeling municipality commissioners, hotel owners and businessmen are also coming forward to sponsor publicity material for Tamang. “We are also grateful to the Marwari community for their help,” the commissioner said.

Source: The Telegraph