Prashant Tamang
Encyclopedia
Prashant Tamang is a Darjeeling-based singer and actor
. He was the winner of Indian Idol Season 3
in 2007. He is the first Indian from Nepali community to make it to the final rounds of Indian Idol and win it. He is also the first person from the Indian police force to enter the final rounds of Indian Idol.
, to Rupa Tamang and Madan Tamang. He spent most of his early life in the Himalayan region of Darjeeling and studied at St. Robert's School. After the demise of his father in an accident, Prashant left school and joined Kolkata Police
as a constable in his father place. In Kolkata Police, he sang for the police orchestra. His family includes his grandmother, mother and his sister, Archana. Prashant married Geeta Thapa (Martha Alley), who is a flight attendant, on 16 February 2011 in Nagaland
, India.
and was subsequently chosen for the next rounds. He received mixed comments from judges for his performances. He is the only contestant to have never been in the bottom three or four of the gala round. He made it to the top 2 of Indian Idol 3 along with Amit Paul
. Prashant got about 10 times more votes (70 million votes) than Amit in the final and went on to win the Indian Idol contest.
and Nepal
. People from Darjeeling district
, Sikkim, Nepal and many other places voted overwhelmingly for Prashant in the contest. The mayor of Mirik
vowed to spend Rs. 10,000 and his staff vowed to spend a month's salary in SMS voting for Prashant Tamang. People of Nepalese origin working in Brunei, UK, Hong Kong, UAE and other countries sent money to vote for him in India.
Rallies were organized in Darjeeling and Kurseong
in his support, some of which were attended by his sister, mother and grandmother. In Pokhara
(Nepal), Radio Annapurna (93.4 MHz) campaigned for collecting donation and the collected sum of NRs. 70,000 was sent to Darjeeling through its representative to vote for Prashant. A signature campaign for his support was organized by Himalaya Darpan (a Nepali newspaper) in Darjeeling. Schools, clubs and other organizations asked people to support and vote for Prashant, who was named "पहाडको गौरभ" (Pahad Ko Gaurav) meaning "Pride of the Hills". Two cabinet ministers from Sikkim, G.M. Gurung and S.B. Subedi, planted tree saplings at Singtam
to pledge the Sikkimese support for Prashant and to show the unity of the Nepalese community in Sikkim and Darjeeling. The Minister of Sports & Youth Affairs of Sikkim, P.S. Golay, also supported the state-wide voting for Prashant.
, was supported by the officials of his department. Zulfiqar Hasan (Special ACP), visibly ecstatic with Prashant's triumph, in his interview after the announcement of the result told that he was confident that Prashant would win and he and his team supported Prashant at every stage of the competition. According to reports, a couple of policemen even stayed awake through the nights to vote for Prashant. Hasan said, "Given the hard worker he is, Prashant deserved this title. He has no formal training in music, but he has been chosen the new Indian Idol. This proves how dedicated he is towards whatever he does."
, a former councillor of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
, led a successful campaign for voting for Prashant Tamang in Indian Idol 3. His campaign gained huge support and popularity from the people of Darjeeling. Riding on the wave of this mass support, Bimal was able to move the campaign to a political angle and overthrow Subhash Ghisingh
, the GNLF leader and caretaker of DGHC, from power. Bimal Gurung went on to found a new party called Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
that renewed the demand for a state of Gorkhaland
in India.
, an FM radio channel in Delhi
, commented in a live broadcast in his show that “shopkeepers will now have to make their own security arrangements as Gorkhas have taken to singing” when referring to Prashant Tamang, who is a Gorkha
, singing in the Indian Idol 3 contest. This led to massive protests from Gorkhas all over and especially in Darjeeling district, where violent clashes erupted between supporters of Prashant and local residents of Siliguri
. The Gorkhas demanded that the RJ be taken off the FM channel. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry
of India issued a show-cause notice to Red FM for the racial slur. Red FM issued a clarification stating that "We have not intentionally caused hurt to the sentiments of any person or any particular community, caste or creed. However in the event any inadvertent slight or offence has been caused to the sentiments of any person or community we tender our apology for the same".
. Prashant toured all over the world, including the USA, performing in concerts. He also sang for a few Nepali films such as Himmat 2 (along with fellow Indian Idol contestant Charu Semwal). In 2009, he started his acting career in Nepali films. His first film Gorkha Paltan was released in 2010. Gorkha Paltan did very well at the box office. Prashant's second film Angalo Yo Maya Ko, produced in Sikkim
, was released on 31 March 2011. Kina Maya Ma, Prashant's third film, was released in 2011.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He was the winner of Indian Idol Season 3
Indian Idol
Indian Idol is an adaptation of the Pop Idol format. It started airing in India with the first season in 2004-2005 and followed that with second , third and fourth seasons...
in 2007. He is the first Indian from Nepali community to make it to the final rounds of Indian Idol and win it. He is also the first person from the Indian police force to enter the final rounds of Indian Idol.
Personal life
Prashant Tamang was born in Darjeeling, West BengalWest Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, to Rupa Tamang and Madan Tamang. He spent most of his early life in the Himalayan region of Darjeeling and studied at St. Robert's School. After the demise of his father in an accident, Prashant left school and joined Kolkata Police
Kolkata Police
The Kolkata Police Force is one of the two police forces of the Indian state of West Bengal....
as a constable in his father place. In Kolkata Police, he sang for the police orchestra. His family includes his grandmother, mother and his sister, Archana. Prashant married Geeta Thapa (Martha Alley), who is a flight attendant, on 16 February 2011 in Nagaland
Nagaland
Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...
, India.
Indian Idol
According to the Indian Idol programme commentary, Prashant auditioned for Indian Idol III (2007) because his friends and his seniors, especially Mr. Zulfiqar Hasan, Special Additional Commissioner of Police (who incidentally also got Prashant's leave sanctioned for the competition) told him that his voice was very good. He auditioned for Indian Idol in KolkataKolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
and was subsequently chosen for the next rounds. He received mixed comments from judges for his performances. He is the only contestant to have never been in the bottom three or four of the gala round. He made it to the top 2 of Indian Idol 3 along with Amit Paul
Amit Paul
Amit Paul is an Indian singer from Shillong, Meghalaya. His career started by being runner up in the Indian Idol season 3. He has become a budding Playback Singer in the Hindi Film Industry.-Early years:...
. Prashant got about 10 times more votes (70 million votes) than Amit in the final and went on to win the Indian Idol contest.
Voting for Indian Idol
After entering the Indian Idol contest, Prashant Tamang became a celebrity in West Bengal, SikkimSikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
and Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. People from Darjeeling district
Darjeeling district
Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its beautiful hill stations and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters...
, Sikkim, Nepal and many other places voted overwhelmingly for Prashant in the contest. The mayor of Mirik
Mirik
Mirik is a picturesque tourist spot nestled in the serene hills of Darjeeling district in West Bengal, India. The name Mirik comes from the Lepcha words Mir-Yok meaning "place burnt by fire"....
vowed to spend Rs. 10,000 and his staff vowed to spend a month's salary in SMS voting for Prashant Tamang. People of Nepalese origin working in Brunei, UK, Hong Kong, UAE and other countries sent money to vote for him in India.
Rallies were organized in Darjeeling and Kurseong
Kurseong
Kurseong is a hill station situated in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India.Located at an altitude of 1458 metres , Kurseong is just 30 km from Darjeeling...
in his support, some of which were attended by his sister, mother and grandmother. In Pokhara
Pokhara
Pokhara Sub-Metropolitan City is the second largest city of Nepal. Pokhara is city of close to 350,000 inhabitants in central Nepal located at 28.25°N, 83.99°E, which is the centre of the country from east to west or from north to south, 198 km west of Kathmandu or 90 km west of Mugling, and...
(Nepal), Radio Annapurna (93.4 MHz) campaigned for collecting donation and the collected sum of NRs. 70,000 was sent to Darjeeling through its representative to vote for Prashant. A signature campaign for his support was organized by Himalaya Darpan (a Nepali newspaper) in Darjeeling. Schools, clubs and other organizations asked people to support and vote for Prashant, who was named "पहाडको गौरभ" (Pahad Ko Gaurav) meaning "Pride of the Hills". Two cabinet ministers from Sikkim, G.M. Gurung and S.B. Subedi, planted tree saplings at Singtam
Singtam
Singtam is a town in East Sikkim district in the Indian state of Sikkim. It is about 30 km from the state capital Gangtok.-Geography:Singtam is located at . It has an average elevation of 1396 metres .-Demographics:...
to pledge the Sikkimese support for Prashant and to show the unity of the Nepalese community in Sikkim and Darjeeling. The Minister of Sports & Youth Affairs of Sikkim, P.S. Golay, also supported the state-wide voting for Prashant.
Support from Kolkata Police
Prashant, a constable in Kolkata PoliceKolkata Police
The Kolkata Police Force is one of the two police forces of the Indian state of West Bengal....
, was supported by the officials of his department. Zulfiqar Hasan (Special ACP), visibly ecstatic with Prashant's triumph, in his interview after the announcement of the result told that he was confident that Prashant would win and he and his team supported Prashant at every stage of the competition. According to reports, a couple of policemen even stayed awake through the nights to vote for Prashant. Hasan said, "Given the hard worker he is, Prashant deserved this title. He has no formal training in music, but he has been chosen the new Indian Idol. This proves how dedicated he is towards whatever he does."
Bimal Gurung and Gorkhaland movement
Bimal GurungBimal Gurung
Bimal Gurung is the leader of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha , a party that is demanding the formation of a Gorkhaland state in India.-DGHC:...
, a former councillor of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council , also once known for a short period of time as Darjeeling Gorkha Autonomous Hill Council , is a semi-autonomous body that looks after the administration of the Darjeeling District in the state of West Bengal, India...
, led a successful campaign for voting for Prashant Tamang in Indian Idol 3. His campaign gained huge support and popularity from the people of Darjeeling. Riding on the wave of this mass support, Bimal was able to move the campaign to a political angle and overthrow Subhash Ghisingh
Subhash Ghisingh
Subhash Ghisingh is the leader of Gorkhaland National Liberation Front which he founded in 1980. He was the chairman of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council in West Bengal, India from 1988 to 2008...
, the GNLF leader and caretaker of DGHC, from power. Bimal Gurung went on to found a new party called Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is a registered political party which campaigns for the creation of a separate state within India, out of districts in the north of West Bengal...
that renewed the demand for a state of Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland
Gorkhaland is the name of the proposed state in India demanded by the Nepali/Gorkhali-speaking Nepali/Gorkha ethnic group in Darjeeling and the Dooars in north West Bengal....
in India.
Red FM controversy
A radio jockey Jonathan Brady (also known as Nitin) of Red FMRed FM 93.5
Red FM is an Indian FM radio brand, with stations broadcasting at 93.5 megahertz in the cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Kanpur in addition to Jamshedpur, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Indore, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Gulbarga, Kochi, Trivandrum, Thrissur, Kannur,...
, an FM radio channel in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, commented in a live broadcast in his show that “shopkeepers will now have to make their own security arrangements as Gorkhas have taken to singing” when referring to Prashant Tamang, who is a Gorkha
Gorkha
Gurkha are people from Nepal who take their name from the 8th century Hindu warrior-saint Guru Gorakhnath.Gurkha, Ghurkha, or Gorkha may also refer to:-People:...
, singing in the Indian Idol 3 contest. This led to massive protests from Gorkhas all over and especially in Darjeeling district, where violent clashes erupted between supporters of Prashant and local residents of Siliguri
Siliguri
Siliguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken's Neck - a very narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north-eastern states. It is also the transit point for air, road and rail traffic to the neighbouring countries of Nepal,...
. The Gorkhas demanded that the RJ be taken off the FM channel. The Information and Broadcasting Ministry
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is a branch of the Government of India is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to information, broadcasting, the press and films in India....
of India issued a show-cause notice to Red FM for the racial slur. Red FM issued a clarification stating that "We have not intentionally caused hurt to the sentiments of any person or any particular community, caste or creed. However in the event any inadvertent slight or offence has been caused to the sentiments of any person or community we tender our apology for the same".
Career after Indian Idol
After winning Indian Idol 3, Prashant launched his maiden album Dhanyavad (meaning "Thank You"), consisting of Nepali and Hindi songs, with Sony BMGSony BMG Music Entertainment
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was a recorded music company, which was a 50–50 joint venture between the Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG...
. Prashant toured all over the world, including the USA, performing in concerts. He also sang for a few Nepali films such as Himmat 2 (along with fellow Indian Idol contestant Charu Semwal). In 2009, he started his acting career in Nepali films. His first film Gorkha Paltan was released in 2010. Gorkha Paltan did very well at the box office. Prashant's second film Angalo Yo Maya Ko, produced in Sikkim
Sikkim
Sikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
, was released on 31 March 2011. Kina Maya Ma, Prashant's third film, was released in 2011.
Discography
| Album title | Year |
|---|---|
| Dhanyavad | 2007 |
| Namaste | 2008 |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Gorkha Paltan | Also did playback singing in the film | |
| 2011 | Angalo Yo Maya Ko | Also did playback singing in the film | |
| 2011 | Kina Maya Ma | Released in 2011 |