From the Telegraph:

Volunteers in Kalimpong vote for Prashant at a special booth. (Chinlop Fudong Lepcha)
Darjeeling, Sept. 18: Say hello to Indian Idol and bye to a drink in the evening.

The Darjeeling administration has ordered “all foreign liquor off shops and country spirit shops” in the hills shut after 5pm over the weekend and on Monday.

Frenzy and Prashant fans go hand in hand. They have spent crores buying mobile recharge cards to SMS their votes or sponsored booths for others to vote through landlines. They have also laid siege to service providers’ offices, accusing them of not delivering the votes to the Sony TV server.

In Kalimpong, leaflets today ordered Lepcha groups on hunger strike against hydel power projects in North Sikkim to concentrate on voting for Prashant instead.



Now , we are going places , aren't we?

And in as much as we need to support Prashant, why do I have this constant, nagging, feeling that we are being royally had? That some group of executives are sitting somewhere, laughing at their luck, monitoring their swelling windfall, urging the passionate people of both hill areas to tap into their sentiments and dig into their earnings and give, more than generously.....and that too for over a week!
Infact they opened the voting lines even before the boys sang their final songs!! ??
And now this rumour, that one or the other is winning... leading to ek jana didi commenting.' Hett !!! vote alik pugena rey....aajjai uthaayera jod ley haalnu parchha!!!'

Huney ley ta deehaalchha...nahuney ley? Pailaa voluntarily, then peer pressure, then gaon ko pressure.. last maa chai aankha cheem garera, jodley kanera nikaalchha hola paisa.

Prashant is already famous, a hero among nepalis all over the world...has put Darjeeling in the map and united us like never before.

So somehow I unrealistically wish we'd play it sly.. let Amit's supporters splurge their money on Sony TV and the phone companies, let him win the title...while we add up all the funds that poured in and handed it over, lumpsum, to the deserving Prashant for all his efforts. It would have certainly been a waaaaaaaaaaaay larger sum than the prize money.

But again, maybe he wants the title desperately. Then we do need to vote like crazy.

Or do WE want the title?

Sochhey ko matrai hai...social boycott nagara. Pheri kyaakpa adkinchha mero....

Just wondering, if we again have one of our own in II4..or 5...or 6. Would it be sensible to vote like this again? Ki we just tell him/her..."Ehhhhh bhai/ baini, aba ghari ghari chai hoss hola, bholi la?'

Hett.. I guess this is not the time for such traitorous thoughts..Ghar maa phone garda ta I too get caught up in the whirlwind. Natra chai...yaha taado maa basera alik BT deko ni....

Lu , lu.. CONGRATULATIONS PRASHANT!! You have already won.!!...


NB...:Hehehehe...and Alisha was not alone who broke into puberty. Mr. Javed Akhtar too did a lot of growing up, acne and all, when Ankita was around..
At least here, I won't be wrong when I say that Indian Idol 3 has been 'The Blue Lagoon' for Alisha and Javed Ankitar.....

Reesaani maaf and all that blah blah. Good night..aba ghurnu gaye...
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Nice and eeeeeasy