I was watching Hannity and Colmes on Fox News recently. Sean Hannity, in that episode, alluded that if some foreigner says bad about the Bush administration, then it is attack to the entire Americans. I wasn’t really comfortable with his remarks. After few days, I got the same kind of perceptions on ‘sajha’ regarding the Prashant Tamang and Indian idol. I got the feeling that we are trying to promote a person (a foreign national) in the name of nationalism. It is tough for me to discern the statement like, “If you don’t like Prashant, then you are not a Nepali.” Agreed, that he is a good singer; but the fact is that he is in a competition, in his country, in his country’s national language. I also agree that he has cultural roots tied with Nepal, so what? Isn’t that a musical game show?? You may support any candidate that you like, but the attached tag of “nationalism” with it is beyond my comprehension.
The irony is that in the middle and upper class of nepali populace, we are not accepting the people of our own very country and own very sentiments( the bigotry starts with saying katta or tapare bahun or jyapu, or bhote or jaad khane jaat or achut or madhisey ). But we are supporting, in a name of nationalism, a person whose uncountable numbers of ancestors lived in a foreign land. I clearly remember “Hrithik kanda” in the name of false nationalism.

So,I just wonder why?? I picked the upper middle and middle class, just with presumption that lower class Nepalese don’t have access to internet.


Btw. He is in the next round. Good luck to him!

good thought

Maverick, well written and very articulate!
I also find it quite ironic that people are voting Prashant just for the sake of it. Only god knows whether he deserves to win the contest or not, but in my opinion, there are other contestants who are better qualified than him. Nevertheless, Prashant is getting all the votes and now he is in top 4! Quite an achievement. I'll be eagerly waiting for the show to end and see how Prashant will carry himself in the field of music.

If you dont support prasant you are not nepali. simple as that. If you feel little love towards nepal you simple cant help yourself supporting prasant. Simple as that.

We are supporting only bcos he has won our hearts..with his songs.He may not be the perfect singer but the best in the lot.Though watching last few performances, Amit is also breathtaking.Either Prashant or Amit can be the next inidan idol...whoever outshines in the next gala.
But PRASHANT IS SUCH A DARLING ..MUAAAAAAAAAAAh

Simple question to you Maverick:

Which team would you support if Nepalese and Indian (or any other) national teams are playing cricket tomorrow?

Just out of curiosity!!

This is really out of blue. But I'll also give simple answer to you Confusion. It would be NEPAL.

By the way, which team you would support, if Darjeeling and Janakpur are playing cricket???

Maverick:

I got your answer. Why don’t you support India??

In your own words- “Isn’t that a musical game show?? You may support any candidate that you like, but the attached tag of “nationalism” with it is beyond my comprehension.”

India plays far better than nepali team. Isn’t that yet another GAME? Why did you involve your NATIONALISM sentiment here?

As you yourself have quoted- “I also agree that he has cultural roots tied with Nepal, so what?”

Prashant being tied up with Nepali roots, regardless how deep, it is obvious that Nepalese support him. Very natural. He lives/works in India and speaks hindi doesnt mean he is entirely indian and nepalese shouldnt be showing national sentiment. Your name suggests you probably live in US. And I am sure you speak english most of the time( at least, at work, school). If you participate in american idol next season, every single nepali living in US would vote you.Why? Because, you are a Nepali, or at least your roots adheres to nepal.

One more straight forward question to you, how about Darjeeling and Delhi team? Which team would you favor?

Maveric, well written but I think it is beyond nationalism. We all clrealy know from the very begining this is an "indian" idol.Probably our sentiments are also tied up with his roots which happens to be Nepali and it's good to see someone who looks like you and speaks the same language like you and says i am a nepali origin without any hesitation on his adopted ( even though it was centuaries ago)country and above all that he's a good singer and adorable person.So I think people have all the reason to support him. Exclusively my thoughts :) and we are free to express ourselves.aint we?

prashant is a son of a b***tch...

There is no nationalism supporting Prashant in Indian Idol!! Prashant is not Nepali.
his anchestors might be nepali but he is by birth indian.
he is good singer and i wish him the best but i don't see just cause his anchestors are nepali , All nepalese should support him.
BUT
If there was singing competition in India , where people from India, Pakistan ,Bangaldesh and Nepal took part then If you support Nepali singer then it is national issue or whatever your sentiment calls it.

BAD BRAINS,
WHAT A SUPER BAD BRAIN YOU HAVE. BAD BRAIN. SHAME ON YOU.

I don't agree with the sports analogy.

If India is playing against Nepal, I will definitely support Nepal, but my support will not have direct impact on the outcome of the game. Whichever team plays better wins the game (who knows Nepal might have a better day and India an off day)
But in this competition, your support has direct impact in the results. And if Indian Idol show is about finding the best singer of the competition, then are we doing justice by casting votes to the person who we know is not the best??

If one really thinks that Prashant is the best among the singers left in the competition, then it makes sense to vote him as many number of times as one likes, but if not, don't make someone an Indian Idol if he doesn't deserve it.

Confusion,
First of all, you didn’t say whom you would support??

Coming to your questions, well, you certainly cannot compare the national flag carrier person or team with a person or team named xyz from an abc country. Being a close follower of Nepali cricket, I have always supported the Nepali cricket team and I’ll in future. Just for the simple fact that they are representing Nepal, my country.
For the competitions as you mentioned, if a candidate is representing a nation or zone or state, then there wouldn’t be any surprise to see the particular sentiments attached with it. But my point is that neither he is representing Nepal nor he has shown any public affection to us. Just as IMI mentioned, they are all Indians. If you support him or the other candidates, I don’t have any issue with it. If you ask my view point then, there are other candidates in that show which are more deserving, namely Amit in particular.
Coming to your example of American Idol, I don’t think it would be savvy to support a candidate just by the name of race, sex, color or caste. The national or zonal team may be a different case where they are truly representing that particular populace. Then I may understand the attached sentiment with it, with regards that a person may feel of being represented.
But whole issue of Gorkhe vc Dhotis, which ‘sajha’ bloggers have alluded for a long time in this forum, in my opinion, is just the wide spread racism in our society.


Nepkanchi,
Obvious we are entitled to our opinion. If not neither I would have wrote nor you.
Well, I again got the same kind of perception from your writing, especially when you mentioned ‘a person looks like you and talks you language’. Lesser intellect like me has to ask you that, how come they are beyond nationalism? I guess beyond nationalism means the worldly brotherhood, or sisterhood as you may say.
In other words, when you mentioned that you would support ‘a person who looks like you and talks your language’ is purely racism.
Saying all that, I again say that I don’t have problem for your support to a particular candidate.

But I would again ask that, isn’t this case a wide spread unconscious or conscious racism in our society???

I have been following this reality show for quite sometime now. I could not agree with you more. Must say, my thoughts exactly Maverick.

Can't be more flattered, Cleopatra

Well, I woudn't have thought that way the way you put the word "racism" it could be other way arnd. As I said "sentiments" between his roots and who support him playing the vital role.Not sure but You could be right about " person who looks like u and speaks the language u speak" could be the another form of racism. But trust me I never ever thought of that when I said those things but now I think It could be. If what u said is true then it might be the unconscious inclination towards racism drapped by "national sentiments".Whatever I said in my previous post isn't 100% false either. Back of everyone's mind whoever supports him has those feelings for him , trust me.
Apart from that , for me his singing and performances come above anything since the very first day even before I knew his name :)
One more thing, you are not "lesser intellect"..comeon m nowhere near you.. just tried to give my "tuchha bichar"

LET PEOPLE ENJOY PRASHANT SINGING AND WINNING THE TITLE
IF MAJORITY OF PEOPLE THINK THAT PRASHANT IS BEST FOR THEM, THEY WILL VOTE FOR HIM AND HE WINS.

AFTERALL INDIAN IDOL IS WHERE PEOPLE CAN SELECT THEIR FAVOURITES (THOUGH NOT THE BEST)

THE BEST WINS IN SPORT RELATED THINGS BUT IN INDIAN IDOL THE ONE WHO GETS MAJORITY WINS

AND WHAT FACTS DO YOU PUT TO PROVE THAT OTHERS ARE BETTER THAN PRASHANT, MAY BE BECAUSE JUDGES ARE SAYING SO, BUT WHENEVER I WATCH THE SHOW I FIND PRASHANT'S SINGING IS ALWAYS IN TOP THREE SO HE IS STILL THERE,

WELL, IF THEY WERE TO CHOOSE THE BEST CANDIDATE BASED ON THEIR MUSICAL CAPABILITY, THAN THEY HAVE TO GATHER A BIG NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE A VERY GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF SINGING TALENT, SUR TAL, (UNLIKE ALISHA AND ANU) THAN LET THEM VOTE AND WIN THE BEST MAN, WHO CARES

BUT SINCE ITS LEFT TO PEOPLE TO CHOOSE THEIR BEST AND IF THEIR HEART THINKS THAT PRASHANT IS THE BEST (EITHER BE IT A REGIONAL BIOSNESS OR SINGING TALENT, OR PERSONS ATTITUDE) PRASHANT WILL GET GOOD VOTES AND WINS

SO WHERE IS THE PROBLEM

Where is the Problem???

Here is the problem ...for a sec ..lets say Prashant was the best among other for same kind of mentality and biasness He is going to lose.

Since ..this indian idol thing is highy hyped i kinda a followed couple , for me what i think should be winnning that if that is singing competition would be AMIT PAUL..I admit Prashant is good singer.but not the best among them.It is my opinion , even if they had no names, no ethnicity.

BUT this biasness would lead to Prashant failure..more communial you make it ..after all what % of nepalese are there in India?
And I admit this is more like popularity contest rather than singing ..and people are naturally bias.

nepkanchhi,
I guess you need some time to understand what you actually meant.

Sumina_sh,
I sincerely didn't understand, which side of boat are you? The fact is, I totally agree with you in the most part. I guess you just missed the point in this thread.

Just, FYI, that nobody in this thread has ever mentioned that Prashant is worse than anyone or anybody else is better than him. He or she is just giving his or opinion, so I don't thing there is an issue of the facts and all.