Idol Fever Catching On

By Parul Sharma

PTI The success of Prashant Tamang (left) and Amit Paul generated a lot of interest in the northeast.

“Indian Idol” may be more popular but “Naga Idol 5.10” too provides a crucial platform for aspiring singers.

It is not just the popular reality television show “Indian Idol” that has of late captured the fancy of scores of Indians (singers and non-singers included), here in Nagaland it is the “Naga Idol 5.10” that is creating musical waves. The fifth season of Nagaland's version of the very successful TV series “American Idol” got off to a start early this month and will carry on for the next six months till October when the final winner will be crowned.

This contest may not be as extravagant and star-studded as “Indian Idol”, nevertheless for a State that has a natural inclination towards music, “Naga Idol 5.10” has been a popular and crucial platform for young, aspiring singers to showcase their talents since 2006.

What's more, during this search for the ultimate singing sensation of Nagaland, the contest also endeavours to bring the different tribes of the State together under this edition's theme of “Come Together”. Through this year's “Naga Idol”, the organisers have attempted to reach out to the people in all the 11 districts of the State.

Screening process

“We are holding preliminary auditions in all the districts. For the first time, we have tied up with district partners, who will manage the next stage, where the participants will try to promote music among their tribes, in their localities in their own dialect. The idea is to promote local music and local artists,” explains Temsu Jamir of the Mokokchung District Art and Culture Council (MDACC) – the brain behind the contest – who is also associated with the Hunting Boots Inc., an event management group that is managing the contest this year.

“Thereafter, we groom the participants, and the screening process gets more rigorous. The final outcome will be partly based on our jury's verdict and partly decided by the votes of the inhabitants of Nagaland,” he added. The various stages of “Naga Idol” will be telecast through the local cable channel, while the CDs of the participants will also be distributed among people living in the interior regions. Road shows will also be a part of the process. Voting by SMS was explored a few years ago, but proved to be ineffective. So, “voting boxes” would be installed at restaurants, newspapers stands, and other public places enabling people to cast their votes for their favourite singers. The district administration will then be roped in during the counting of votes to make the process “more transparent”.

Another new feature this year is that the contestants can sing in their own dialect and language, even as the medium was limited to English till the last season. However, since the music industry in Nagaland is still in its embryonic stage, the past winners of “Naga Idol” have not really been able to cultivate their musical careers in a full-fledged manner.

“We don't have established music producers in Nagaland, so most of the times the artistes are working on their own and producing their own albums. However, MDACC has been instrumental in supporting these winners in bringing out their work in public domain,” says Jamir, adding that the artistes are even keen to sing for Bollywood movies if given an opportunity.

“We believe that music transcends all kinds of languages, and makes people come together. Music has a unique power that can foster harmony among everyone. And that's what ‘Naga Idol 5.10' stands for,” he concludes.