Gangtok: Prashant Tamang is the man of the moment in the Hills.Banners scream out his name at street corners,people are going gaga over him, even the district administration of Darjeeling has pulled out all stops to get his passport issuedin record time.
So whatis so special about Prashant, the latest pin up star in the Hills? The Darjeeling boy, now working as a constable with Kolkatta Police has just qualified for SMS and piano rounds of the ongoing Indian Idol contest.
And the fluttering banners- put up in all three subdivision of Darjeeling Hills and also in neighbouring Sikkim- ask you to pitch for him by sending SMSes between June1 and June9, when voting for the concert will open.
Rupa, his mother, still finds it hard to believe that all of the Darjeeling & Sikkim is celebrating Prashant's success.
"He didn't even tell me that he has auditioned for Indian Idol contest".It is only when he qualified did he break the news to me." she said confessing that she is getting sleepless nights worrying about his chances of success.
But she doesn't really need to worry.Though Prashant doesn't have any formal training in music,singing is his heart and soul.
"I spoke to him about a week back.He was very excited.I advised him to sing from his heart, which is what he does best," said Rupa.
A student of St.Robert's School in Darjeeling,Prashant was forced to quit school after his father passed away when he was in class X.In 2000 he got the job of a constable with Kolkatta Police.
What will also help Prashant is the tidal wave of support building up in his favour.The banner apart, the civic and the police administration has pitched in for him. The district administration has already finished paper work for his passport - In case he has to travel abroad for next round.
Word has spread far with people in Gangtok, Namchi,Tezpur even in Mumbai being mobilised to cast votes in his favour.
Jigme Khampache, ward councillor of Darjeeling Municipality;s Toonsong area from where Prashant hails from,said"we are proud that our son of the soils has managed to reach Mumbai, the hub of the music industry.We hope that Prashant will win the contest," adding that he was not only a Darjeeling boy ,but also a son of the Hills.
To make sure that Prashant gets the maximum number of votes, PCO booth owners are being mobilised.The time for sending SMSes starts from 9PM - an hour when the most in HillTowns stay indoor."He is one of us and thousands of us will vote for him.I will buy a voucher and send SMSEs from a friend's cellphone",said Bhushan Rai , a Darjeeling Police Constable.
A group of journalists from Sikkim has formed a committee here to campaign for Prashant as he climbs the ladder to the top position. Now since his fate depends more on the number of votes he gets (in form of sms’ and landlines telephone vote) rather than his vocal chords, the people from this region are leaving no stone unturned to make sure that he does not lose out on crucial votes.
The Sikkim Journalists Committee for Prashant Tamang, formed here today, has taken upon itself the task to campaign for the 24-year-old Prashant and garner public votes for him though extensive publicity and rallying in Sikkim. The Committee is headed by senior journalist, Kishore Moktan.
“We are extremely proud that someone from the Hills has made it so far. It becomes our responsibility to ensure that he gets maximum votes. We appeal to all Sikkimese people to vote for Prashant through sms and telephone,” Mr. Moktan said.
The effort from Sikkim as well as Darjeeling Hills is to bring get support from all Nepali-speaking people from all over the country for Prashant. The Sikkim Committee will be distributing pamphlets and putting up posters urging people to vote for him.
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