The citizens of Meghalaya have lived up to their promise to make Amit their Indian Idol. Amit's loss at the finals was not a loss by any counts. It is plain and simple victory of money over talent. We were all beguiled by a reality show whose single point agenda was to make money at our collective expense. Meghalaya with its small population obviously could not fight the numbers game. On the one side was Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling who was quoted in Himalayan Darpan a local newspaper, as saying that he would do much more than any government to see Tamang, a fellow Nepali beat the competition.

Immediately after Chamling's announcement Anant Rai a businessman from Gangtok announced he would put in a crore to fund the Darjeeling singer's campaign. What does that say about ethnic fervour? Not a word was said about Prashant Tamang's singing capability. All that was sold was his tribe, his profession as a sepoy. Calcutta Police then went overboard to appeal for corporate voting from the entire police force, as if being a sepoy in the police was another qualification. To top it all, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) cashed in on the extraordinary zeal that was on display during the homecoming of the two finalists, by extending the voting time to nine days. The message was loud and clear. If people are gung ho about making their favourite idol win then the best thing is to exploit their sentiments and let the cash jingle all the way to the bank.

I doubt that we will be taken for such a joyride ever again. SET's opacity over the voting process is what riled the audience the most. How could they announce that a rounded figure of seven crores was the number of votes cast? This was unacceptable by any standards. Win or lose, people who have voted deserve to know how many votes Prashant Tamang polled over Amit Paul. An entertainment channel asking for public votes has absolutely no right to secrecy over this process. Thankfully Sony TV is dealing with a very restrained population. Anywhere else people would have dragged Sony to court for converting peoples' sentiments into hard cash without as much as a semblance of transparency.

Coming closer home, there are a few things that need to be squarely dealt with. Both Amit and Prashant had a huge fan following, almost equal in numbers, when they visited their respective home towns. But whereas Amit was cordoned off like a trapped animal in a vehicle that was sealed of by so-called 'security guards' of a private agency, Prashant traveled in an open vehicle waving at everyone. I don't believe for a moment that Amit was under any kind of threat of being mauled by fans. Even if that was so, I am pretty sure that Amit would have been able to handle it fairly well, acquainted as he is with celebrity status. Who decided that Amit was to be treated like a politician requiring 'Z category' security? Was it Sanjay Sharma, the Executive Director of Maitree, an AIDS NGO, who also claims to be an ad-man, then an event manager and suddenly turns into a security man donning fatigues and guarding Amit like some precious commodity?

When Peitngor Cable News(PCN) recently showed how Sanjay Sharma through an ad- agency Cognet had made some computer simulated posters of Amit Paul which were outrightly revolting and was selling them, Sharma shot back that he had Amit's consent to do so. May we ask if there was a signed contract for it? It is amazing how someone could so quickly patent and cash in on Amit's name and fame! Sharma has threatened to sue PCN for exposing the racket. What else can you call an instant money-making venture if not a racket? When the Amit posters were available free of cost why would anyone want to sell them unless it is to make money?

Who decided that Amit Paul would not be able to go to his parent's home and that he had to stay at the Air Command House? Amit Paul is a public person depending on public support to win the contest. He has nothing to do with the security forces. Why should he be treated like a prisoner of his own fame? If Prashant could visit his home and be with his family why was that made impossible for Amit, so much so, he was so grieved not to be able to go home until the wee hours of the morning of his departure. True there were fans hanging around waiting to catch a glimpse of their favourite idol. What would they have done at best? Touch him, see him from close quarters and then gone away satisfied? Who is anyone to prevent that from happening?

Now that Amit Paul is coming home several nondescript groups have suddenly emerged to organize their own little homecoming functions, even while those who stood solidly behind Amit during those crucial campaign days have been phased out. Politicians of all hues are also taking advantage of their proximity to Amit Paul. If all these politicians had collectively worked to garner votes for Amit not just by public appeals but by mobilizing finances Amit would have come home as the Indian Idol. Sadly, even the Government left him to his elements after they announced him the State's brand ambassador. No visible efforts were made to ensure Amit's victory. While politicians have no compunction about summoning the business community to ask them to share the annual Rs 100 crore transport subsidy to fill their own pockets, they did nothing at all to support the Amit Paul campaign. Such are the vagaries of politics. Now that the lad is coming home, politicians are geared up to shamelessly jump into the Amit bandwagon.

One other incident that is truly jarring if not outright revolting is the behaviour of a certain church elder. This ordained minister of the Church had given permission to the PCN to stage the live performance of Amit Paul on a giant screen at Madan Student, Jaiaw. A day before the show the reverend withdrew permission on the plea that he received a letter from some fervent believer who threatened to wreak vengeance should the Amit show be held. Needless to say, the letter writer did not have the courage of conviction to write his own name. So in effect, a church leader acted upon a letter received from an anonymous source. His actions were so prompt it surprised many church members who usually have to wait a long time for decisions to flow down the hierarchy. Talk about religious exclusivity and you have it playing right under your nose. Sometimes we Christians believe we have a patented right to Christianity and that salvation is our exclusive guaranteed claim. As citizens of a secular country is it wise to wear religion on our sleeves?

Last but not least, I would humbly advise the Chief Minister, Mr DD Lapang to check out the knick-knacks on his office table. The whole world witnessed the two Indian flags perched on the Chief Minister's table being placed upside down with the green on top and the saffron below. This writer got a call from the Office of the Planning Commission asking how such an irreverent faux-pas could happen? Is such disrespect to the Indian flag not punishable by law? To add insult to injury that particular clipping was repeated a dozen times. But, perhaps the Amit fever must have reached scalding heights to have caused such a slip-up.

Amit Paul will make his mark in life. He is a winner and had been declared so several times over by Javed Akhtar and Anu Malik. Bollywood will lose no time in signing up this incredibly talented singer. Amit Paul's fans and supporters will go back to their daily chores. What remain are the bitter sweet memories of September 23, 2007. Time alone will heal these memories until we produce another trail blazer in the world of Indian music. According to Amit's mother who is now in Mumbai, everywhere they go Amit is mobbed. People say he is their Indian Idol! Do we need any more endorsements?