30 May 2008

Indian Idol blown away by Bhutanese reception

28 May, 2008 - The show kicked off three hours late. Most chairs were empty. Tickets were expensive and one of the performers, Charu, missed her flight.


Despite all that, Prashant Tamang’s show in Thimphu, though not a roaring commercial success, went down well with the waiting audience.

The third Indian idol’s first song of the evening, Jab se tere naina from the film Saavariya followed by Bhegay hoot teri from Murder was welcomed with whistling and cheers as the short and perky singing sensation set the Thimphu crowd dancing with old sentimental Nepali and hit Hindi songs.

The show went on till midnight as more people poured in after the organizers slashed ticket rates to a uniform Nu 100 from the earlier Nu 300, 500 and 700. Many chose to watch for free from nearby buildings and the flyover area opposite the concert arena.

The response overwhelmed the singer. Speaking to Kuensel, the 25-year old said that he was apprehensive about how the show would be received. “It’s my first time performing in Bhutan. I never thought that the response would be this good. It was unexpected. I’m very happy.”

So how has life changed for the police constable after he was crowned Indian idol? “Life’s good and there are both positive and negative changes,” said Prashant.

He said that the secret to his success was the effort he put in and the love, blessings and support from the people. Besides singing, he loves playing and watching football.

Organisers said that the show being cancelled twice, extensive formalities and lack of support from authorities discouraged people from attending the concert. The concert was first scheduled for April 11, then postponed to May 2 before finally being staged on May 24.

Thimphu residents also said that tickets were too expensive. Organiser Nguldrup Dorjikss, however, insisted that it was the formalities and cancellations that affected the show. “People came to watch him at Nu 1,800 in Jaigoan; cost is not a problem.”

Organisers spent Nu 970,000 on the show and paid Prashant Tamang Nu 350,000 for performing in Bhutan.

As for Prashant Tamang, he doesn’t want to leave his current job with the Kolkata police. He is presently based in Mumbai and has released his first album Dhanyavad. He wants to make his career as a playback singer in Bollywood.

The concert was organised to mark the centenary celebrations and Indo-Bhutan friendship.

By Sonam Pelden
spelden@kuensel.com.bt


http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=10464

28 May 2008

Prashant’s show not attractive

Thimphu, May 28: The Indian Idol Prashan Tamang received low turn-over in this performance in Thimphu instead of heavy expectation on May 24.

Absence of his co-performer Charu also left the show unsuccessful. The audiences were forced to wait for three hours.

He performed popular songs such as Jab se tere naina from the film Saavariya and Bhegay hoot teri from Murder.

Nepali and Hindi numbers had pulled viewers to dance floors. The organizers were forced to decrease the ticket prices from Nu 100 from Nu 300, 500 and 700 after which number of viewers increased to accompany Tamang until mid-night.

The viewers were discouraged due to repeated cancellation of the concert, for which the organizers blame the authorities. Bhutan News Service

16 May 2008

Prashant Tamang and Nepalese pop idol Raju Lama pose with Tibetan flag


Indian Idol 2007 Prashant Tamang and Nepalese pop idol Raju Lama pose with Tibetan flag in solidarity with the Tibetans at a protest campaign in New York, where Tibetans participate in serial protest demonstration organized by the Tibetan Youth Congress of New York and New Jersey, May 14, 2008.

http://www.phayul.com

Ten Honored with South Asian Excellence Awards


By SUDHIR VYAS
Special to India-West

NEW YORK — The grand ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel reverberated with the sounds of South Asian music and thunderous applause as 10 winners of the first South Asian Excellence Awards walked down the aisle May 10 to receive their honors from such celebrities as Shaukat Aziz, former prime minister of Pakistan; ace tennis player of India Vijay Amritraj; “Indian Idol” 2007 winner Prashant Tamang; and Bollywood actress Pooja Batra.

Over 400 guests, who included the crème de la crème of the South Asian community, attended the two-and–a-half hour black tie event. The glitzy evening, hosted by Sony Entertainment Television Asia, was made possible with the support of grand sponsors Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. The event was also telecast to Sony’s worldwide audience in the U.S., UK, Europe, Africa, India, the Middle East, Pakistan and Australia.

This first-of-its-kind award was created to recognize and honor South Asian achievers for a wide swath of accomplishments, in the fields of business, entertainment, social and public service, science, sports, literature, technology and IT, and the performing and visual arts, with a special award given to two young achievers demonstrating outstanding excellence in their field.

According to Rajan Singh, executive vice president, International Business, of SET Asia, “South Asians in the U.S. are certainly making their mark in all spheres of life. At SET Asia, we believe that the time has come to recognize their contributions and to showcase them to the world. This is precisely why, as a global TV channel, we have taken the lead in honoring those outstanding South Asian men and women who stand as icons and examples of excellence and integrity to their community."

The winners of the awards were given an opportunity to inspire future achievers and also act as catalysts for the achievers of today, and they did it in style. While most of the honorees dedicated their awards to their parents, and mothers in particular (the event being held on the eve of Mother’s Day), some dedicated them to their colleagues who had worked side by side with them.

Robin Raina, who won the South Asian Personality of the Year award, called upon the people to rededicate themselves to the eradication of poverty from the world map. While Bapsi Sidhwa, who won the Literature award, dedicated her award to the Indian and Pakistani writers in the U.S.; Purvi Shah, executive director of Sakhi, a women’s organization, dedicated her award to the thousands of South Asian oppressed women living in the U.S. She called upon the audience to join hands to create a change for the better.

Speaking on the occasion, former prime minister Aziz said, “The biggest asset of the South Asian countries were our people. They have achieved a lot for the community wherever they have gone, and the community must now work for peace, prosperity and progress of South Asia.”

Raina, in his brief speech upon receiving the award, said, “Poverty was the mother of all religions and everyone gathered here must try to eradicate poverty.” Raina, who has launched the Robin Raina Foundation, has recently undertaken a project to build 6,000 concrete homes for slum dwellers in Bawana in northeastern Delhi. These slum dwellers have been living in make-shift huts and temporary structures where they were subject to the elements of nature as well as to accidents like fires, which burned down their homes and their belongings. Under this project, RRF will build brick and concrete homes for them. Contributions will help with the construction costs of one house, each one of which costs roughly $1,500-2,000,” he said.

The event was a show of pomp and technology with amazing lighting by individuals especially flown in from London. The audience was entertained by the multi-talented singer, songwriter and composer Raghav Sachar, “Indian Idol” winner Prashant Tamang, and the Jamaican reggae sensation Chaka Demus and Pliers. The Dhol Foundation, backed by New York City Bhangra Club dancers, were one of the highlights with a thunderous performance on a dhol and Bhangra number.

The award winners were:

Young Achiever Award:
Sponsor presenter: Tariq Khan (Nationwide)
Presenter: Sanjaya Malakar
Winners: Farah Taslima and Ishan Mandani

Science Award:
Sponsor presenter: P.S. Rajagopal (Air India)
Presenter: Kaysar Ridha
Winner: Dr. Anil Kaul

Performing and Visual Arts Award:
Sponsor presenter: Shailendra Bansal (Malani Jewelers)
Presenter: Mira Veda
Winner: Shazia Sikander

Social Service Award:
Sponsor presenter: Swetal Patel (Raja Foods)
Presenter: Aasif Mandvi
Winner: Purvi Shah

Sports Award:
Sponsor presenter: Amin Hemani (Raza)
Presenter: Janina Gavankar
Winner: Mohini Bhardwaj


Business Award:
Sponsor presenter: Arti Kumar Caprihan ( Western Union)
Presenter: Vijay Amritraj
Winner: Shafi Saxena


Technology and IT Award:
Sponsor presenter: Paul Dujardin (Mpingi)
Presenter: Prashant Temang
Winner: Dr. S. Somasegar


Entertainment Award:
Sponsor presenter: Kunal Dasgupta (SET)
Presenter: Pooja Batra
Winner: Lena Khan


Literature Award:
Sponsor presenter: T.P. Mahesh (Tilda)
Presenter: Guillermo Linares
Winner: Bapsi Sidhwa


Personality of the Year Award:
Sponsor presenter: Michael Fung (Wal-Mart)
Presenter: Shaukat Aziz
Winner: Robin Raina.
:by indiawest

http://www.indiawest.com/view.php?subaction=showfull&id=1210803818&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3

3 May 2008

Prashant Tamang pics

No show for Indian idol


Indian Idol, Prashant Tamang, and co-contestant Charu were to perform live at the Changjiji ground in Thimphu today but there will not be any show.

Following a confusion of last-minute bureaucratic procedure and protocol, the show has been postponed. Official approval for live musical concert was given, then revoked and the matter was bounced about between agencies. Eventually, it took the Lyonchen himself to step in between and put an end to the long and winding game. The concert will be performed on May 24.

Although approved earlier on April 24, the live show was revoked by the culture department on April 28 on grounds that foreign artists weren’t permitted to perform in the country.

The Thimphu City Corporation had approved the posters and banners for the concert on April 1. BICMA removed all posters and banners pasted in town on April 25.

According to the the organiser of the event, Nguldrup Dorjiks of Jigdrel Trophel, BICMA had directed him to the culture department as it was the authority who dealt with such shows in the past.

“My proposal gets approved and then it is revoked four days later. This is not a game,” he said.It was noted that several foreign artists like Raju Lama, 1974 AD, Mantra, and many more had performed here in the past. A foreigner had also performed in a movie, Yue Gi Bum, and several foreign models had walked the ramp in Thimphu.

“If the foreign artists were not to be allowed to perform, even those artists shouldn’t have been allowed. Why this nepotism?” questioned Nguldrup, adding that he had expected a lot from the new government.

The culture director, Dorji Tshering, said the concert had been approved at first since it involved the promotion of culture. However, later, he realised his office was not the right authority and it was not their mandate to grant approval. The approval was revoked.

An official from BICMA explained that the confusion had resulted because the BICMA Act had not been in place in the past. Now, everything was conducted as per the provisions of the Act.

The BICMA Act states: “All performance of dramas being conducted, or intended to be conducted, in any local area can only be conducted under a permit issued by the Authority… No establishment which provides any form of entertainment whatsoever intended for the general public shall be established, maintained or operated without a licence obtained for this purpose from the Authority.”

Sherub Gyaltshen, the General Secretary of the Motion Pictures Association of Bhutan, said that the organiser should have been informed and guided properly by the concerned authorities rather be juggled about.

“The last minute revocation was not justified. The concert should have been allowed since this is not the first instance of foreign artists performing in Bhutan. Moreover, this was not a profit-making venture,” he said.

Jigdrel Trophel had already incurred an expenditure of Nu 970,000 for the concert, which was being organised to raise funds for the Bhutanese Idol show. Labourers had been hired from India, advances paid and most of the show tickets worth Nu 700, 500 and 300 were already sold.

He said that the authorities had no leadership qualities. They were always trying to play safe and usually ended up harassing the public mentally and physically. Glad that the show will be performed three weeks later, Nguldrup said he was adamant on making the show a success anyhow.

“Such bureaucratic wrangling is discouraging for a growing company like ours,” he said. “They can postpone or do anything but the show must and will be performed.”

He added that, if there were some written government rules that live concerts will not be entertained, then the concert won’t be performed but whatever is invested will have to be reimbursed.

The Bhutanese Idol show, at least, will be staged as planned because it was awarded its certificate by BICMA on April 18. If no last-minute complications arise again, that is.

By Sonam Pelden

http://www.bhutanobserver.bt/2008/bhutan-news/05/no-show-for-indian-idol.html