Skip to content Skip to navigation

Reality behind reality shows

Indian television is experiencing a new revolution in the form of reality shows. There is a deluge of reality shows in each and every channel that you turn on. MTV Roadies, Popstar ki khoj in Channel V, Big Boss a rip off from the British show called Big Brother of Shilpa Shetty fame, and the plethora of singing contests from Voice of India in Star Plus, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, challenge in ZEE to the Indian Idol in Sony reality shows have captured the viewers imagination. The northeast has not yet forgotten the frenzy created by Debojit Saha’s victory in one such contest that catapulted the struggling singer into a house hold name overnight and now the northeast people are in crossroads once again to choose between two new contenders fro these parts that have reached the finals in this years Indian Idol aired by Sony.

Amit Paul from Meghlaya and Prashant Tamang from Sikkim are jostling for the winner’s crown in this show.

Perhaps the northeast is basking in the glory of unexpected national recognition that has come its way from these girls and boys who have succeeded in awakening the nation towards its northeastern brothers and sisters.

Thses shows have treaded into hitherto forbidden grounds and hit pay dirt with the successes of local talents. A year before it was Debojit who had united the people of the two valleys i.e the Brahmaputra Valley and the Barak Valley by procuring a record number of votes that led his winning the contest. Once again history is repeating itself with Amit Paul who has managed to bridge the gap of community divide in the minds of people of Meghalaya and has ushered in an era of peace.

His modest house in Shillong has turned into a temple of sorts where fans of all shapes and sizes, irrespective of age, difference in communities have become a fixture. They are voting for Amit Paul and praying for his victory. Similarly Prashant Tamang the constable from Kolkata police is trying to come to terms with the instant name and fame that he has brought for himself as well as for his home state Sikkim.

Whether these lads retain their new found glory is yet to be seen but what is heartwarming is the enthusiasm of the people who for once have forgotten their incessant differences and rooting for their new heroes and uniting to see them win.

Photo: People of Shillong breaking the barricade of caste and tribes gather at the Polo Ground in Shillong on 20-09-07 praying for the win of Shillong lad Amit Paul in the Sony TV's Musical reality Show Indian Idol Final. Pix by UB Photos.

Comments

jaay's picture

Finally, it looks like we are ready to make the mark on the national level. It is not that our presence was not felt, but now it looks like the impact is felt. There has been no dearth of talent within the region, but it was matter of being exposed. Anybody who feels that only telephone calls registered made the contestants win, should not forget that people Northern part have more presence and awareness than our part. I think the worthy contestant has won. Congrats to everybody and let’s hope we have new dawn and future to look on to.
kamakshi manjari's picture

Prasant was realy awesome.

Pages

Add new comment

Random Stories

Wild elephant kills forest officer

16 Jun 2012 - 3:05am | editor
In yet another shocking incident of man elephant conflict, a wild tusker trampled to death a beat officer in Nagaon district on Friday. The incident took place when beat office Hem Kanta Sharma was...

Shab-e-barat observed in Tangla

22 May 2016 - 8:25pm | Shajid Khan
Muslims around the town observed ‘Shab-e-barat’ or the ‘night of deliverance’ on Sunday night. Shab-e-Barat, the night of deliverance, falls on the 14th day of the Islamic month of Shaban. Muslims...

Jattha marching to connect people's struggles in India

23 Jan 2008 - 5:55am | bobbyramakant
A 'jattha' will begin on 26 January 2008 from Nandigram in West Bengal marching and connecting all people's struggles and movements across the states of India to end in Gorai, Mumbai, Maharashtra on...

Arms smuggling in BTAD

30 Sep 2014 - 10:27pm | Hantigiri Narzary
Kokrajhar police are believed to have received stunning revelations on an arms smuggling racket in BTAD after they arrested a person from Bimraguri on Monday night.But police officials are...

Other Contents by Author

They say “health is wealth” but in Assam “ill health means drain of wealth”. The people of Assam seem to have lost their faith in the medical facilities and treatment provided in Assam. The commercialization of the medical profession has totally disillusioned the common public. Minor ailments require a plethora of health check ups the cost of which burns a hole in the pockets of poor patients. However, the ones who can afford prefer to go outside the state for treatments without taking the chances of wrong diagnosis or pricy hospital bills. The government hospitals are the last resorts of suffering patients who brave the unhygienic, rat infested, garbage heaped...
The world is coming to Guwahati this November to take part in the International tea festival that will be held on November 22 at the Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor stadium at Sasusajai. The three day festival will be a platform for the tea brewers of the world to show case the quality of their “two leaves and a bud” and the festival will also provide an opportunity for Assam to give a boost to its tea industry which is going through a rough period.As many as 400 delegates from all corners of the world would be taking part in the festival. The participating countries are Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, Pakistan, Egypt, Kenya and Sri Lanka, China and Indonesia. Apart from a few...
Life came to a standstill in Pakistan with the declaration of Emergency by self styled Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. His actions reeked more of him being an army chief rather than a president of Pakistan. He cited the growing instances of Islamic militant violence and “constant” judicial interference as the reasons behind his clamping emergency and sacking of Ifthikar Choudhary, the Supreme Court chief justice which incidentally came in the wake of the crucial apex court ruling on the legality of his election. The declaration of emergency has resulted in the suspension of all constitutional rights, all independent news media were gagged, telephone services were cut off...
The metamorphosis of the legendary Assam Medical College AMC) from an aged and dilapidated structure into a refreshingly beautiful centre of excellence is remarkable.It turned 107 years old on November 2, 2007 but officially birthday of AMC is on the 3rd of November.Late Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi, the then premier of Assam had inaugurated the prestigious college and since then AMC has achieved many high points and till date has proudly produced6822 MBBS graduates and 2350 post graduate doctors.Its journey which began from 3rd November, 1947, in the abandoned US military hospital of the Second World War at Borbari, Dibrugarh, to completing 60 years of service was completed following many...
The northeastern states have lately reaffirmed themselves as cauldrons of violence. Instances of violence have repeatedly marred the peace of these sibling states where rebel guns have resulted in a number of casualties. Imphal is smoldering after an ambush at Sorbung village in Phungyar sub division of Ukhrul district in the daylight hours of this Wednesday morning. One Assam Rifles officer and two jawans were killed including a Major while seven others were left wounded. The ambush took place while the Assam Rifles troops were moving from Soide village to Kasom on a routine patrol duty. Mentionably, this was the second major militant ambush in Manipur after members of the People...
The Oxford Dictionary defines the word sacrifice as the voluntary relinquishing of something valued or surrender of possession as offering to deity. Animal sacrifice (of goats and buffaloes) is otherwise rare but is held on certain festivals in contemporary India, and Sri Lanka, especially to honor the Mother Goddess (Durga) by the followers of certain cult groups of Hindus belonging to the sect of Shaktism. Due to severe condemnation by most other Hindus, calling this as a barbaric act, these animal sacrifices are quickly disappearing in India and Sri Lanka. Among the Hindus of Nepal, and certain sections of Bengal and Assam animal sacrifices are common even today, not only for the Mother...
Love thy neighbour is a maxim that is all set to be renewed with improved vigour and gusto with the decision of the representatives of the People’s Committee for Peace Initiative in Assam (PCPIA) and Naga People’s Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR) which pledged to ensure a bond of love and brotherhood among the people of Assam and Nagaland. This is also seen as an attempt the end the festering four decade old boundary issue between the two states.A team of representatives from Assam and Nagaland are all set to organize a “confidence building exercise” involving residents of villages on either side of the border at Merapani, the main point of contention between the...
Another rhino bites the dust in Kaziranga National Park as poachers struck again in the supposedly conserved abode of these rare species. Altogether 17 rhinos have been killed by poachers or have drowned in floodwaters since January 2007. On September 16, poachers shot a rhino at Hatikhuli tea estate near the national park. This time the rangers stumbled upon the carcass of the female rhino on October 23 from near Bandorkhal area under the Borbeel forest camp in Bagori range of the park.Five rhinos were poached in 2006, while seven were killed in 2005 in Kaziranga. According to a departmental source poachers in KNP killed nearly seventy rhinos since 1985. The forest department is worried...
The northeast is a hitherto untapped tourist destination. Hills and vales, lakes and dales or rather nature’s pearls abound in this region. But the world at large has been fed on its militancy tales instead of the jewels of the eight states that form the northeast. Every state has a unique feature be it the wild life, culture or even a rich history -- we have it all.It is not that nothing is being done in boosting the tourism potential of this region. The state government in a bid to avert the spotlight from militancy to tourism in the North Cachar Hills has decided to hold an NC Hills Festival which will be held at the Sankardeva Kalakshetra here in the second week of November. The...
Durga puja is awaited with bated breath every year and the goddess is given a tearful farewell every year at the end of the puja, and this year won’t be any different either. Guwahati’s heart throbbed with festive fervour as devotees offered ‘anjali’ in their ‘para pandals’ Guwahatians pulsated with the puja spirit indulging in pandal hopping and invoking the goddess with hearts brimming with pious devotion. For once the markets had a forsaken look as the usual customers turned devotees attired in their festive best visited pandals instead of shops luring them with festive discounts.Strangely Guwahati lacked the usual crowded streets during the puja days...