Saturday, September 15, 2007

Amit Paul Wins Indian Idol 3

Update 2: 24th Sep, 2007 ==> The Future For Amit Paul. Read here the story about update on what's he doing after Indian Idol

Update: 23rd Sep, 2007 23:14hrs ==> Prashant Tamang is actually declared the Indian Idol.

Amit Paul wins Indian Idol 3!! Yeah, so all fans start dancing!!... After some hard dancing, a few tired individuals come to me and ask, the results aren't out yet, so why r we dancing??... how do you know Amit wins??.. and a few readers ask, what's Indian Idol doing at a Tech Blog!!??

For those who don't know what's the Indian Idol ==> Indian Idol is a remake of American Idol for Indian participants and Indian audience, with a similar format and voting techniques. And the point of voting brings us to technology. Voting to Indian Idol requires you to either send SMS, Call phone numbers, Go to their website!! All of these voting techniques use technology. It's an easy and great way to connect to your audience, but not the most reliable way to get votes!! And when I say unreliable, believe me, the Indian Idol 3 voting system is a complete junk (Don't ask what I mean by junk, do some R&D to find out) !! Check Indian Idol voting site and you'll know what I mean. They supposedly charge Rs.2/- per vote, but I haven't paid a single penny till now!! Think about the SMS system. SMS is basically a technology of sending text messages and there are different ways to send it. Not just from phones, but also other ways. Indian Idol may have restricted web SMS, but then still there are numerous ways to breach the SMS system. I've personally done a few over the years, and sure that others know many more SMS hacking techniques than I do!!

The entire voting procedure is so much dependent on different telecom companies and you can never be sure what's happening in those telecom offices. Why couldn't you just bribe some telecom technician and walk your way to victory?? Indian Idol 3 or for that matter Saregamapa 2007 (another singing show judged by public voting) during the last episodes becomes a competition between states/cities. The contestants receive support from politicians, corporates, social activists and from the local residents. It becomes a prestige issue for an entire state and when this happens, you know what the politicians can do with public telecom companies!! Jammed Lines, Network Congestion are some common problems with technology being used in such a voting system. So when there's a network failure in a participant's home ground, injustice happens to him!!

So what do you do to solve the problems?? Accept only one vote per week from one phone. But that would mean less revenue for the TV channels and Telecom companies. They are running a business with these shows, and very less chance that such a thing will happen. Build more secure websites for public voting. "Anything that is built can be broken", but then I expect at least a tough time for the person breaking the system. You could stop public voting and let the judges decide whose best. But then I think the essence and beauty of democracy is something special!!

When winning and losing depends upon technology, it is not a very healthy thing for talent. You can easily manipulate your votes, and I know for sure it has been manipulated in the past and will be manipulated in the future. I have been voting for Amit Paul from the beginning of the contest, but you never know how technology has been bent. I'm not saying that Prashant doesn't have the fan following. May be his fans are more fanatic. But I'm saying that technology is not completely perfect like a lot of other things in life!!

63 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree amit is a good singer but for me Prashant is unique and a good challenger for him and will be Indian Idole 3

Anonymous said...

prashant shouldnt be the indian idol. i beleive that he should be voted out long time back. if he wins indian idol it will be totally unfair. coz he desnt know what music is. and on the other hand amit is a great singer and he is the most alligible contestant for the indian idol 3.

Anonymous said...

No...way!! Prashant's songs doesnt have soul. He's improved a lot but no match to Amit's soulful and flawless singing!! Amit is going to be Indian Idol!! But I think they'll have to struggle becoz both are not as good as singers from other competitions... They still have to improve a lot, but Amit is better coz he touches my heart!!

Anonymous said...

prashants singing is dead singing...amit is great. amit should be the indian idol 3.

Anonymous said...

But I would still want to know how r u voting lots of vote?? I want to vote for Amit...Please tell me how to vote for him?? Please mail me your application or technique at: nanya[at]rediffmail"dot"com

Saptarshi Purkayastha said...

Only time will tell who will win, but then we all have our favorites and no point in arguing who is gonna win!!

And about that request regarding the application or technique for bulk voting, Im not gonna tell you that coz u have to find it for urself!! I have made that application for testing the vulnerability, but I think its unethical to do anything like that!!

Anonymous said...

Saptarshi Purkayastha ji how do u know your votes are not getting rejected?

Saptarshi Purkayastha said...

I tried my app and then their server count.. and it increased to count my vote.. So, I think it was being counted at the server. But don't know if they count the online votes in the final tally... But then they atleast count the SMS right??

This writeup is intended to tell people that public voting has a lot of flaws and very tough to perfect

Anonymous said...

prashant should win what ever u say until and unless there is manipulation as you say...

other wise a singer who was suppose to win could not have been out not getting votes among around 10 contestent..
i doubt entry of amit itself...

i can see around million of people voting for prashat
so if there is not manipulation prashant should win it

Anonymous said...

prashant should win what ever u say

he will not win if there is manipulation as you say...

other wise a singer amit, who is suppose to win as u say could not have been out by not getting votes among around 10 contestent..think of vote proprotion needed then...

i doubt entry of amit itself...

i can see around million of people voting for prashat
so if there is not manipulation prashant should win it

Anonymous said...

Prashant is not a singer at all. According to me he should have voted out quite earlier. I watched his interview yesterday on Sony, he was talking totally rubbish. He was saying that today he is on Indian idol finals only because of Nepali's. He don't know himself i think that what he is saying.

Anonymous said...

Amit is a dam good singer. I think he is the best contestant so far in all the 3 Indian idol's. I am a big fan of him and i wish that he should win the indian idol 3 title.
My wishes are with him.

Saptarshi Purkayastha said...

Had a talk with Amit last night and he seemed confident, but not over-confident!! I just told him to sing well and wished him good luck for his career after Indian Idol 3!!

Anonymous said...

Saptarshi, you seem to be in touch with Amit. Are you his friend? How you talked to him? And I really wish Amit should win. He deserves to win but I am really afraid people have been consistently voting for Prashant. he was never in danger zone. So possibility of his winning is there but I really wish that Amit wins

Saptarshi Purkayastha said...

My uncle is a good frnd of Amit's dad and hence I had Amit's cell number. Called him last nite to wish him goodluck... and ask for passes to the finals ;-)

Anonymous said...

I want Prashant Tamang to win and he will win. He is Indian since he was born and brought up in India. Good number of people, including judges are discriminating him since he is related to Nepal, but is that because he has a mangolian feature? If he were to have Indian feature, the story would have been the other way. I am rooting for Prashant. Prashant Tamang, We are here for you. You Rock man!!! Good luck bro and wish you all the best for the final :-)

Anonymous said...

i don't think judges has done any discrimation because of Prashant's features. He is not a good singer, accept this. Amit is more talented and there is not an iota of doubt about this. Even Adnan Sami and all the guest judges appreciated Amit because he is flawless. All his performances were perfect and none of the Prashant's performance was close to good.

Anonymous said...

Even if Prashant wins, who is going to give him work. He can never be a good playback singer. it will be Amit who will get work. As javed Akhtar has always mentioned and industry has got a good playback singer. so Amit is already a winner as his future is anyway more promising

Anonymous said...

what nonsense... Prasant should have been removed LONGGGGGG time back.

Anonymous said...

I agree he should have been eliminated long time back but it seems people just discuss that Amit is good or others were good but donnot vote whereas Prashant's fans vote for him to make him survive till finals. I really wish people should vote for Amit.

rickie said...

I feel like laughing when people start predicting which idol contestant will get jobs/be a playback singer blah..blah..blah..
Just look at past winners now.

Amit Paul sounds like a cheap 3rd class copy of Kishore Kumar. Prashant has originality in his voice that can mature with training which he will damn sure do after he wins the IL3.

Talking about cheating to get more votes for Amit, that is the only false hope for Amit's minority supporters to keep themselves motivated. Prashant's supporters will be equal to any task- fair or unfair.

Prashant is going to win by a landslide. I have past voting patterns for numerous continuous episodes for evidence.

Just search on google to see the number of Prashant's supporters sites compares to Amit's. That should remove any doubt.

Anonymous said...

I agree Prashant will win But I like Amit's voice. judges have always appreciated Amit and they know about music more than u. Does not matter if Amit loses, he is the best and indian idol sucks if Prashant wins

Anonymous said...

amit is great singer my wishes are with him

Anonymous said...

Saptarshi, that is so cool you know Amit! I really hope he wins this time. My sisters and I tried voting for him online several times but I don't know if it worked since it's from a website and we're from the US. Where are you from?

Saptarshi Purkayastha said...

I'm from Mumbai... Winning the indian idol is only the first step. I think we should all pray for the future career in singing for all our favorites.

Anonymous said...

Hi! Amit is very much serious in his part and definitely good singer.

Anonymous said...

PRASHANT IS THE INDIAN IDOL. PRASHANT IS FAR BETTER THAN AMIT
HE IS BRILLIANT WITHOUT FORMAL TRAINING...........
SO HE SHOULD BE THE IDOL ANYWAY ANYHOW

Anonymous said...

well i go for prashant ...as he deserves to b the nxt idol. though no hard feelings for amit n dere fans. amit always looked as a second best performer n here prashant is singing he's heart out. if it wasnt to b prashant in d finals, amit would hav def grab my votes.

Anonymous said...

Gooo Amit

Anonymous said...

This is not fair...
EVERYBODY knows what a sensational singer Amit is. He's got the passion and the talent. He's amazingggggggggggggg...When I hear him sing...I get chills...every song he sings comes from inside of him...ELECTRIFYING AMIT......

Awesome
Magical
Irresistible
Terrific

PAUL!!!

You're the TRUE INDIAN IDOL!!!

Anonymous said...

Amit who?
AMIT PAUL
THE TRUE INDIAN IDOL!!!

A singer with a soulful voice...such a postive attitude...great personality...and a big heart...

I have never ever ever ever heard anyone sing the way he does...totally awesome!

You rock Amit!!!

Anonymous said...

Amit Paul---
Yahi Ho RiGhT Choice Babey!!!
A a haaa h

No matter what...
We know you've got a great future ahead of you Amit.

Whow cares if you didn't get the TITLE Amit...what's important is the love and support people have shown upon you...and the TRUST and FAITH they have in you.

You're the best of the best...
I wish you nothing but the very BEST!!!

Anonymous said...

Amit's FIRST original song..My God...yup IT IS HIS SONG.....

Zindagi pehle kabhi itni haseen kahaa
Raaste hai sab wahi badla hai bus jahaan
Raat to gujargayee hai aagayee subaha
Kissko khabar thi yeh humein le aayegee yahaan
DIL main tamannaaaon ko liyeee
Chaahaton ke khatir ab to jeeye
Tanha akele chalte rahen
DIYE ZINDAGI KE JALTEY RAHEY

AISE achanak sab milgayaaaa
Dooba ko saahil jaise milgayaaa..

Humne sunaa thaa ab yeh jaane y y
Khushiyaan to dhoonde buss bahaaney
Kitne hai jaane kitne anjaane
Khush hogaye sapne kuch hai paaye

Humna kissiko bhulapaayenge
CHAAHE YEH DUNIYA BHI MILJAAYE

Haareee baazi ko jitna ooose aata hai...

Just one word for you Amit - - -
FAITH

Anonymous said...

Astounding
Mesmerizing
Incredible
Terrific

Passionate
Amazing
Unbelievable
Laajawaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaab...

Guess who?

Anonymous said...

Gustakh dil
tere liye
bechain hai
ae jaane jaan
Darde jigar
kaise bayaan
tujhse karen
Dil bezoobaan

YEH DILLL...

Ae Amit...

tereko ek baat boloon kya....
Nobody compares to you Amit...

Anonymous said...

You've got so much ahead of you...and I know even though you didn't win the Indian Idol title...you've won all our HEARTS...and that's what counts.

You've made a difference!!!

Amit...we are so proud of you!!!

Anonymous said...

I can go on and on and on about how I feel about Amit Paul...
he's hell of s singer guys and YOU all know it alright.

Even the people who have voted for the other guy know that Amit truly deserved the Title....but who cares,,,Amit you've got nothing to worry about...
we have supported you, we are supporting you and we will support you all the way through...

Anonymous said...

Priye timro samjhanaaaa
Bhawishyako kalpana
Mutu maa bokera
Jaandai pardesha

Fantastic...man this guy can sing!!!

Anonymous said...

I just started watching the Indian Idol. The very first time I heard Amit's voice,,,i was like...this guy's got a SeNsAtIonAL voice...
He knows himself...he feels what he sings...
His eyes say a million things when he sings...
I could close my eyes and listen to him forever...
Today is one of the saddest days of my life...coz my star didn't win the title...but I'm just so proud to have gotten a chance to hear him sing...he is totally amazing...
He sings with such passion....fire...
He's an extremely versatile singer...and my heart says...woh bahut uper tak jaayegaa...
Kitna shaant, saaf, aadmi hai Amit...

Amit Paul, I need for you to know that you've made a difference in my life...
you've touched my heart.

I wish you the very best in your endeavors...

Love n luck

Anonymous said...

I know aapko boora to lagaa hogaa...aapki family bhi dookhee hongey,,,
per it's a part of life yaar.
Whoever said life is fair, right?!
You've got the potential to become so much more...
You've got the talent...the determination, the confidence...so busss follow your heart and it will lead you to your destiny.

Bahut dard horaa aaj...per buss yahi sochke dil ko sambhaala hai ki...aapka din bhi aarahaa hai Amit.

Aap bahut aaghe jaayenge...yeh mera maannna hai...
Busss never lose hope....your family and friends are with you and so are we!!!

I wish for you all the joy and happiness and success (and more) in the world.

Aap buss waise hi gaate jaaeeye, hanste jaaeye...

We love you and we have faith in you!!!

Here's wishing you all ThE vErY BeSt...

You're my TRUE INDIAN IDOL and I just can't express in words the way I feel!

Ek din life main miley to shaayad zaroor boloongee...tab tak ke liye...

TATA

S

Anonymous said...

C
O
N
G
R
A
T
U
L
A
T
I
O
N
S

AMIT
PAUL!!!

Anonymous said...

indian idol sucks.the judges shouldn't hav given prashant a chance.it would b better if judges marks constitute a part in choosing. otherwise another sandeep and prashant.and indian people should also show some taste for music.

Anonymous said...

hahahahahah
alrite all ....now prashant wins...i agree amit is awesome..but who voted for him..? ...though this show is bull shyt now..last tym...indian idol runner up got released his album..still we hvn't got indian idol 2 album...huh..also...just think abt theier profit...for finals..they got 7 crore sms....so multiply by 2....14 crore...now they give contract for 1 crore...lol..that was just final's income...wt abt others...lol...and after all this week..we got prashant..dumb A$$

Anonymous said...

listen i know that this prashant won lekin amit rocks and prashant is a total loser he doesnt even noe the meaning of music!!!!!
i voted over 45 times n wat do i get ???prashant yukkkk hes not fit to be indian idol i protest!!!
n if u people think prashantz going to click ur rong!!!!!
fed up wit indian idol person!!!

Anonymous said...

What a coincidence - I am just about to write to the producers and judges of Indian Idol regarding the absurdities of the voting system on the programme. So what if India inherited the format from the American version? Surely the great historical interest in good singing should motivate the producers to come up with a fairer system. Tech experts like you should be able to fix the system without losing the commercial viability of the programme. India ought to lead in the refinement of inherited western formats, and not ape systems that penalise her own talent. Glad that someone else has seen through the undemocratic nature of commercial progammes coming from a supposedly democratic country. It's a shame that Amit, a singer who has time and again proved that he has the latent talent to do as much as Rafi and Kishore (if not more), has been denied the headstart he needed. But worse still, the flawed system has allowed a regional/political selection by permitting each fanantic fan (including those who travelled from Nepal to India on the eve of the finals specifically to vote for Prashant), to render several thousand votes per person in the space of a week. Who had the greatest number of people voting for him? Amit, without doubt. But who got the greatest number of votes? The eventual winner, of course. Surely it doesn't take a great intellectual to see the absurdity of those statements.

Anonymous said...

Saptarshi, if you are really in touch with amit, do let us know his state of mind. He must be disappointed but pls cheer him up as he is the true winner

Saptarshi Purkayastha said...

Yeah, Amit's disappointed, but not too much affected by the results!! I think he's got lot of scope.. Infact the contract with Sony would have bounded him to one channel... Now he can perform, signup for movies and get a better career...

Check out my other post Here for his latest future prospects!!

Anonymous said...

So Does anu malik and javed are giving some work to him? I hope he should just forget the results and concentrate on his promising future and prove that he is true idol

Shomir said...

I am appalled at the manner by which the selection process of Indian Idol was entirely relegated to SMS and other electronic communication measures. Sony TV should have known of the dynamics of this selection process better than what the ordinary public might be able to comprehend. The system in place for the selection of an Indian Idol is akin to the practice by which the selection of American Idol is made in the United States. There is however one profound difference, which is the "corruption factor". In the USA no individual voting for a candidate of their choice would use the SMS from their work place. Such use would be a blatant violation of workplace ethics; not only that, individuals would more than likely be disciplined for using such services during office hours. This however, is not the case in India. Correct me, if I am wrong – in India every single individual who has access to the Internet at their respective workplaces would more than likely use it to vote for their chosen candidate/s numerous times. It is a matter of some concern; if one set of people who have access to SMS at their workplace, use the system to record their proffered candidate, while most of the regular people would have to pay for voting for a candidate of their choice. However, the problem assumes massive dimensions when institutional groups like the military or the police force, etc. use the machinery to completely overwhelm and skew the peoples’ verdict in favor of a single candidate, such as Prashant Tamang! This is where SONY TV failed, especially in allowing such perverted practices to prevail in the selection of the Indian Idol.

I have seen no breakdown of the votes cast by SMS, direct calls or any other acceptable means. It is important that SONY TV publish all relevant information, especially millions of people has paid to cast their votes. I would also like to see the breakdown of the so-called “seven crore” votes that were cast for this nomination. I am interested to know how many of those seven crore votes actually originated from the sepoys of the police forces and the jawans of the armed forces, who used their free Internet services to create this horrendous outcome. Why would they be allowed to force their ill-advised choice upon the “aam janta”?

Now, apart from this issue, the other aspect that is worth pondering is the very fact that the judges appeared to be a rag-tag bunch of celebrities from the music world, but sadly, none really were objective in rising above their narrow agendas, which was evident from the numerous episodes and voluminous comments they made during their judgments. Javed Akhtar was the worst offender of them all!

This individual has left a lasting spectacle of the worst temper tantrum a so-called “judge” which we all were privileged to view on live TV. This crude and boisterous individual with a king-size ego first pushed this nautanki performer Ankita (better known as “Anki Baby”) who was barely competent to be in the piano round. She was neither a singer, nor a performer, and yet Mr. Akhtar thrust his choice upon the viewing public, not for once feeling remorseful that his crude nepotism was hurting far more deserving candidates such as Charu Semwal, Dipali, and Pooja! All three of the named girls were far more talented in Indian musical compositions and also were far better singers than Ankita ever was.

When his misadventure with Ankita failed (which Javed Saheb wanted us to believe as his effort to promote “Nari Pragati”), he took off in a tangent and became a soothsayer! He ventured into predicting people’s future as to who will or will not be a successful playback singer in Bollywood. No objective judge will ever utter such harsh comments on the performance of an eighteen year old teenager, and then proceed to analyze further that since Emon’s voice sounds like Sonu Nigam, no one would like to listen to Sonu “lite”. I saw all episodes of Indian Idol 3 and now I wonder what Zaved Akhtar was seeing and listening through the last 8 months of his judgeship? During that period I have heard Amit sing songs of Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Kailash Kher, Zubin, and many others! Why did Zaved repeatedly try to stereotype Emon as Sonu’s clone? What was his agenda, who whom did he try to protect by such mean spirited and motivated diatribe? Poor Emon was no match to this behemoth, who had the power of his legacy to wrongly influence the voting public and indeed he achieved his goal! Emon became history! Now I am also curious to know what caused Zaved Akhtar to become so hateful of this young Kolkata lad? I followed the shows regularly I did not see any major clash from either side. Emon was a free soul and at no point he showed any disrespect to Javed Akhtar or any of the other “esteemed” judges… or is it?? Well, I do recall one episode not too long ago (in the past two months) when Emon appeared on stage with a “sindoor tilak” on his forehead. I am now wondering, if that ticked of the secular instincts of Javed Akhtar, and triggered this very un-judgelike behavior!

This of-course would be irrelevant if the man (Zaved) behaved with some more dignity in announcing the banishment of Emon from II 3! This “buzroog” displayed a behavior that is so unbecoming of a celebrity of any status. Emon bowed to touch Zaved’s feet (sic!) seeking his blessing, and this highty-mighty guy walks right past him to embrace Prashant!!! Never seen a rude act of this dimension, leave aside on national TV! When will take notice of such acts which has a net demoralizing effect upon the youth of the country!

SONY-TV today must be reflecting on what the grand finale would have been if Amit and Emon were the finalists! It is my belief that the show would have been far more electrifying and would have drawn many more viewers. The worst nightmare for SONY has become a reality! They will never be able to create an “Idol” out of Prashant, and Bollywood would be crazy to push this amateur singer in their ever so competitive arena! Bollywood is thriving today because of the influx of extremely talented kids and frankly, I do not see a situation where the industry will have to glorify a so called SONY doctored “Idol” who was nominated not on the basis of musical talent, but through the support of a small segment of our population who are in the law enforcement and defense services, and or the Gurkhas/Nepalis.

Anonymous said...

well said but lets see if their format changes next time. This show will lose its popularity

Nagendra HK said...

http://mail2nagen.blogspot.com/2007/09/indian-idol-3.html

Anonymous said...

well there is the general public voting because..
VOTES = POPULARITY!!!
how many people like them = how famous he gets! hence, how many people will buy his music! If Prashant's album sales arent 5 times more than previous idols then im not a Prashant fan...

Anonymous said...

i refuse to watch the next indian idol, becasue it is obvious that it is fixed, as prashant won. Like many of the other comments, i agree that he should have been voted out way long ago. the judges kept on saying that amit's singing was good, moreover amit had distinctive hits. whereas i cnt even remember one good song that prahsant has sang. he is crap!!!

amit will still go further in life, and i beleive that he will def' get singing contracts. i hope him the best!! amit rocks!!

Anonymous said...

i also wasted my time watching the india idol. It really felt bad that I was hopeful for Amit and Prashant won. Indian Idol Sucks. I hope somebody tell the show producers that its really waste of time to watch such shows

Anonymous said...

Totally agree...
I am never watching Indian Idol again...
seriously I am so disappointed and aggrevated and shocked!

We all know Amit truly deserved the title...who cares...Amit is the TRUE INDIAN IDOL in our hearts, right?

We love ya Amit!!!

You're totally aWeSoMe!!!

Anonymous said...

What a waste...I'm not gonna watch II ever again!!!
What's the use anyway?
II sucks!!!

Amit, you're the man!!!

Anonymous said...

Hey guys!!!

It's just amazing that there are people who feel exactly the way like I do.
Amitttttttttttttt, you've got our support and we know that you're gonna bop to the top...we believe in YOU!!!

Anonymous said...

for me amit is indianidol his voice is supper god gives him excellent voice amd i am with only and only amit i love u amitttttttttttttt

Anonymous said...

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Anonymous said...

I hate Prashant...he has an accent...his voice is alright...but he's nepali accent is...ewwww...i love amit paul's voice...he should of won...he only lost cuz there is alot of nepali ppl and they juz vote 4 prashant since he is nepali

Anonymous said...

<3 I LOVE AMIT PAUL'S VOICE <3

Anonymous said...

hey, eventhoug amit didnot win it does not matter since his the best of all. hey saptarshi if it is possible can u give mi Amit's numba jus wanna tok 2 him once. i'm not sure if i can mit him coz i stay in Australia but i'm a great fan of Amit.

thnx anywayz Amit u da best. All da best 2 ya...........

Anonymous said...

Thanks guyz, u guyz are the best. so what if i didnt win indian idol, i am still in all of peoples hearts and dats what winning is all abt.