By Indra Adhikari
Celebrations for Prashant's victory in the Indian Idol contest did not limit to his hometown alone, rather it extended far beyond his country. The sensations made residents of eastern Nepal and Kathmandu wild.
Kathmandu city saw nightlong enthralling rallies once the announcement was made. While the Darjeeling people had known his success quite earlier, Nepalese learnt it only through the broadcast of the Sony.
Thousands of his fans had gathered at Basantapur Durbar Square to see him winning in a large screen projector. Others saw him on TV sets in rooms.
I was working on my computer for a book and had been sending SMSs to friends to send message immediately after the announcement of the winner. I had intended to make news for nepalnews.com, the biggest online news portal in Nepal. However, the news came earlier.
A friend of mine in Darjeeling sent me a SMS of the victory of Prashant as he joined the celebrations in his town.
Media people had been watching the event quite closely. Since his entry into top 10 finalists, the media buzz in Nepal had begun. As his success ladder continued to grow up, it received ample space in Nepalese media. This instigated the readers to cheer for Prashant.
The following day he emerged victorious and won the title, it was headline for most Nepalese daily newspapers. Kantipur, Nepal Samacharpatra, Rajdhani, Annapurna Post, The Kathmandu Post, The Himalayan Times and others published prominently the news of his victory. Not usual of political headline, the dailies covered the success of Prashant in a way that it was a scoop story.
The grumbling politics was sidelined. The hot debate of the Nepali Congress unification, which would change the whole course of Nepalese politics, received lesser priority. It was national politics that shadowed the massacre in western Nepal where around two dozen people died. However, in case of Prashant, newspapers ignored national politics.
The coverage did not end here. On Tuesday, The Kathmandu Post supplement carried a whole front-page story on this ethnic Nepali boy from Darjeeling hills. The newspaper also carried small opinion piece on Prashant.
Nepal Samacharpatra also carried a big story of Prashant's victory and the celebrations in Nepal and India in its 'PAGE THREE' with a picture where he hugs his other contestant. The daily carries a reader's letter congratulating Prashant. In contrast, half of a page in Kantipur carried letters all praising him.
The notable event for Nepalese at the final contest was wearing of Nepali cap by Prashant. One of the readers referred Prashant's love for 'Nepali topi' to criticise Nepalese leaders to their fading sentiments to nationality and national cultures.
His other fan Dr Kedar Karmacharya said that tears rolled down his cheeks as he saw Prashant on TV screen singing 'gorkhaliko choro hu gorkhe mero nam'. He has proposed for felicitation of Prashant during his visit to Nepal. Fortunately, Surya Nepal has scheduled a music concert in Kathmandu and Pokhara next week where his fans are expected to go wild the second time. I wonder, a school compound would be enough to accommodate his fans for whole of Nepal.
Ironically, Kathmandu reporter for Indo Asian News Service Sudeshna Sarkar in her report said the celebrations for Prashant in Nepal have ideological relations with the concept of Greater Nepal. She claimed Nepalese even regard Kalimpong Darjeeling to be part of Nepal.
I asked her, what difference you find in between two concepts: Greater Nepal and Akhand Bharat. There was no reply from her.
A reader in nepalnews.com said there is no point for celebrations when an Indian citizen wins an Indian contest.
Above that, Nepalese media played crucial role in promoting the Indian Idol contest in Nepal expanding the market of Sony TV in Nepal. The craze would grow wilder if by chance any one of Nepali origin enters the contest in next round. (Adhikari works with nepalnews.com)
(The Indian Nepalis or Gorkhas did not appeal for the support of Prashant from Nepal but it happened due to the media report of Prashant that they were attracted and they even crossed the border and sent SMS in favour of Prashant from India. According to them, music and culture go beyond political and geographical barrier. Actually, music and exchange of culture link the country to each other emotionally, whatever may be their political ideology and concept. When SONY Entertainment channel invites voting even from Hongkong and foreign countries, why Nepal cannot vote for Prashant? The news report of Sudeshna Sarkar of Indo Asian News service as stated above by Adhikari is highly objectionable and therefore condemnable when such statement hurt the sentiment of Indian Nepali speaking people. If so, what they say about the annexation or merger of Sikkim into Indian Union? There are 99 percent Nepali speaking people in Nepali, who voted vigorously and tirelessly for Prashant. -Editor)
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