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Although approved earlier on April 24, the live show was revoked by the culture department on April 28 on grounds that foreign artists weren’t permitted to perform in the country.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 The approval was revoked.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