“Indian Idol” finalist Prashant Tamang, who has transformed overnight from a constable of Kolkata Police to a singing sensation, has his uniformed colleagues and people of his hometown going all out to make him win the reality show - forming fans clubs and setting up special phone booths to send votes.
Kolkata Police and residents of Darjeeling are waiting with bated breath for the grand finale of Sony TV’s show Sunday - when either Prashant or his rival Amit Paul from Shillong will get the coveted title of “Indian Idol” based on the number of votes received on SMS or phones.
“It’s really a matter of pride for all men in uniform that Prashant is in the top two of ‘Indian Idol’. This is the first time in the history of Kolkata Police that a cop has proven his talent in such a big contest. He is an inspiration for all of us,” Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police (Armed Force) Zulfikar Hassain, who encouraged Prashant to take part in the event, told IANS.
Tamang had displayed his singing talented soon after he joined the police force - he was part of the orchestra band Kolkata Police Live as a lead vocalist. But little did his colleagues know his talent would one day catapult him to fame.
Prashant is a sepoy of Kolkata Armed Police’s special force (SF) wing of which Hassain is the joint commissioner. Overwhelmed by the achievement of his junior, Hassain said there were lots of hidden talents in the police force but very few people get a chance to shine.
“Most of us in the police force usually remain absorbed in our rigorous day-to-day work. Since Prashant has set the trend, I believe it will be easy for others to pursue their talents in future,” he said.
Asked about the voting frenzy amongst policemen, Hassain said: “It’s a question of uniform loyalty. I hope all men in uniform - be it army, Kolkata Police, West Bengal police or police of any other state, are enthusiastically voting for Prashant,” he said.
“We have our batch mates and colleagues across India and they all are voting for Prashant,” he added.
In Prashant’s hometown Darjeeling, people are doing all they can to give their hero the winning push. A fan club has been formed in the hill town just to consolidate support for Prashant.
Many Prashant fans have opened special phone booths at several places. Several clubs and individuals have also sponsored coin booths at Jorebunglow, Pokhriabong, Sukhiapokhri, Mirik, Kurseong and Kalimgpong areas so that people can easily cast their vote for Prashant before the final showdown.
And many have even contributed money to buy hundreds of mobile phone cash cards at booths for people to drop in and send an SMS for the local hero for free.
“Not everyone has a handset in Darjeeling. So people of all communities have contributed money to set up phone booths to ensure Prashant wins. All communities - Biharis, Muslims, Bengalis and Marwaris - have come forward to help,” said Tenzing Khambachey, a die-hard fan of Prashant.
“We have requested all people in north Bengal and Sikkim to vote for Prashant and also requested service providers to ensure that votes sent from across the hills reach the right destination,” said Khambachay, who has been enthusiastically campaigning for the constable.
“After the competition, we have also decided to felicitate Prashant along with Emon Chatterjee, another contestant of ‘Indian Idol’ from Bengal, at a function in Darjeeling, Tenzing said.
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