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Two young singing sensations - Amit Paul from Shillong and
Prashant Tamang from Darjeeling - of the much watched reality
television contest "India Idol" has left the whole of India's
eastern region hysterical.
The highly rated musical show on Sony TV has reached its climax
with the two performers vying for the crown, results of which are
to be announced Sunday where one contestant would be eliminated
based on the least number of votes received on SMS or phones.
But for the people in both Darjeeling and in the northeast, the two
singers are already winners for more than one reason.
"The craze and enthusiasm for making Amit Paul the next 'Indian
Idol' is something unprecedented with people from elderly
villagers to kings and politicians, including the chief minister,
joining the bandwagon," John F. Kharshiing, spokesperson of the
Federation of Khasi States, the apex body campaigning for legal
status for the durbars in Meghalaya, told IANS.
"Amit is already a winner as he has helped in uniting the region
through music," said Meghalaya's Education Minister R.G. Lyngdoh.
For the records, Amit is a Bengali-speaking youth born and brought
up in Shillong - a city that was witness to a string of bloody
ethnic riots in the mid-80s between the tribal and the non-tribal
people.
The growing schism in the northeast between the indigenous
population and 'outsiders', a term broadly referred to people
speaking other Indian languages, has become a matter of concern.
In this context, the euphoria and the support from people across
the northeast for Amit is something heartening.
"We have conferred him the honorary title of Meghalaya's 'Brand
Ambassador' to foster peace, communal harmony, and excellence,"
Meghalaya Chief Minister D.D. Lapang told IANS.
Lapang is personally spearheading the campaign to drum up support
for Amit.
"We are all proud of Amit for the success and fame he has received
so far. His achievements have helped people from all walks of life
and communities to come together and this clearly reflects that
music has no cultural barriers," the chief minister said.
From government offices to the tribal king's durbars, the chief
minister's secretariat to the Raj Bhawan, and schools and colleges
- the only topic of discussion in Meghalaya is the 'India Idol'
contest.
Last year, Assam's Debojit Saha had won Zee TV's "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa
Challenge 2005", earning him the coveted title "India's Voice".
Debojit was again a Bengali-speaking youth from Assam's Silchar
town in the Barak Valley. The Assamese-Bengali divide in Assam is
an age-old phenomenon with groups triggering animosities between
the two communities for petty vested interests.
But when Debojit stormed into the finals, the whole of Assam backed
him with the powerful All Assam Students' Union (AASU) leading the
campaign for votes through SMS and phone calls.
On earlier occasions, a demand or any campaign launched by the AASU
in the Brahmaputra Valley (Assamese speaking areas) failed to
elicit support from the Bengali dominated Barak Valley.
But AASU support to Debojit changed the equations and united the
Brahmaputra and the Barak Valleys. So much so that a general strike
called by the AASU few months after Debojit's victory got
spontaneous support across the Barak Valley.
"The Amit phenomenon could very well unite the northeast,
especially in states like Nagaland and Manipur where the ethnic
divide is so huge...we want more such talents from the region to
come up so that we can stand united without any bloodshed," said
Kishore Singh, a college student in Manipur's capital Imphal.
But for the moment though, people across Meghalaya and other
regional states are glued to their mobile and landline phones
voting for Amit.
Amit's rival in the contest Prashant Tamang from Darjeeling is
also drawing huge public response with the authorities forced to
enforce a ban on the sale of liquor Sep 22-24, fearing wild parties
if he wins.
A local cop, Tamang's supporters across Darjeeling and other parts
of West Bengal have been working overtime to garner support.
Indo-Asian News Service
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