Indian Idol’s big moment

The rise of Prashant through the Indian Idol show has mobilised the Nepalis in South Asia and the diaspora

Prashant Tamang has the innocence that is so rare among other performers

One hour into last Saturday’s Prashant Tamang concert at Manhattan’s Jacob Javits Convention Center, I went and stood in the middle of the theatre on a platform built for television cameras. Tamang, the Nepali Indian Idol stood on the stage speaking to the audience in his native language.

He was lit from behind by huge, blinding stage lights. And in front of me was a sea of very enthusiastic fans, many of them holding their camcorders. Attached to each camcorder was the view screen. Each view screen showed a mini version of what I could see on the stage — Tamang, on the stage with glowing lights behind him. A hugely talented singer with no formal training in music, and all the adoring fans wanting to capture him on their camcorders.

It was a surrealistic moment watching this young Nepali cop-turned Indian Idol winner. Twenty-four year old Tamang is still fresh and has the innocence that is so rare among other desi performers. And he is totally charming, which may explain why he managed to beat the other competitors. But he is ready to become a star.

I was invited to Tamang’s concert by two Nepali journalist friends. I do not subscribe to any Indian cable channel. There is enough India around me in New York city. I watched young Sanjaya Malakar on the American Idol show this summer, but I had not followed Tamang’s sudden fame. After he won the title, I did read about Tamang — a cop in Kolkata, whose rise through the Indian Idol show had mobilised the Nepalis in South Asia and in the diaspora.

I have seen Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee at a number of musical shows which sometimes draw 15,000-20,000 desis to giant sports arenas. But nothing had prepared me for this evening at the Jacob Javits.

The Nepali and Tibetan power that I saw at the show overwhelmed me. The numbers were smaller — perhaps around 2,000, as compared to the regular Bollywood shows.

But the only other times I have seen Tibetan faces or heard Nepali voices is either in the Number 7 subway train that I take home to Queens or when I went to listen to the Dalai Lama speak in Central Park. But at the Dalai Lama event, the crowds were subdued and there was this eerie quietness in Central Park.

At the Tamang concert, the crowds were boisterous. I could feel the energy as I walked in the cold night to the western edge of Manhattan. Around me were so many Nepali faces that I sensed that this was going to be a special night.

The concert started an hour late. “Nepali Standard Time,” my journalist friend commented. “That’s even later than Indian Standard Time.”

Behind my seat was a row of young Tibetan girls, each wearing a white T-shirt. Each had one letter of Tamang’s first name painted in front and back. From left to right the T-shirts read: P-R-A-S-H-A-N-T!

The girls were ready for Tamang long before he appeared on the stage. They sang along with the opening acts, providing a perfect background chorus to the Nepali singer Sapna Sree, who is a regular performer at the Himalayan Yak restaurant in Jackson Heights. And they loved the stage presence and the Hindi, Punjabi and English songs of the young Indian-American singer Meetu Chilana.

Tamang finally arrived on stage with less fanfare than the usual Bollywood stars. There were no fireworks and dancing girls in garish costumes. And he wore regular boots, pants and a bomber leather jacket, which he took off a short while later.

The nearly packed audience adored him, laughing at his jokes in Nepali (which unfortunately I did not understand) and singing along with him. And the young singer bathed in all the attention. It was his moment in New York city.


• Aseem Chhabra is a freelance writer based in New York who has previously written for The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer and Time Out, New York

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