Nations, immigrants and inherent nationalism

The current series of Indian Idol, the Indian version of mega hit reality TV show conceived by Simon Fuller in the United Kingdom, is becoming very popular in Nepal and amongst the Nepalis communities worldwide. Indian Idol is just a TV series based on the Idol format, in which young singing talents spotted from all over India compete for the title on the basis of public telephone voting. In the country that has sustained one of the world’s largest film and music industry for decades, it is obvious that such programmes become an instant hit. No wonder the broadcaster Sony TV’s audience figures in the film crazy nation leapfrogged in the three years after the first shows were aired. However this time round, the popularity of the programme has risen dramatically in the smaller neighbouring country of Nepal and within the Nepalis communities in the rest of the world. Although Indian culture is heavily influential on all over the South Asian sub-continent, Nepalis are taking this year’s Indian Idol very seriously. Not that this years shows are exceptionally spectacular, but millions of Nepalese are madly following the programme as it is progressing ahead. The reason is simple: one of the contestants who have been selected for the finals comes from one of the Nepali speaking communities of India. Prashant Tamang’s parents are Indian citizens and he is also the same. He serves for the Indian police and he sings Hindi songs. Yet the Nepalese- from those living in their own country to the labourers working hard in the gulf regions and from the computer professionals making little fortunes in America to the Gurkhas serving in the British Army, all have fallen in love with this young man. They are voting for the guy where possible and others less fortunate are wishing him good luck and praying for him. Everybody is so happy for Prashant Tamang , everybody feels so proud of him.

I have always been very cynical about reality TV shows and competitions. Thus I have rarely watched big brother or x-factor or American idol; voting in TV competition is something I never thought I’d do. When the fiasco of the BBC was revealed later this July, with the news that the broadcasting giant had announced fake winners in six of its competitions, my suspicions about such programmes were proven right. Although I cannot assert that the result of all of these TV competitions are fixed by the producers, somewhere in my mind I have the feeling that they may not be genuine. Even so, I have been voting for Prashant Tamang since the last few weeks. When I vote for him, the embedded distrust against media competitions never comes up in my mind. I just see a contestant in a foreign TV show, who happens to speak at his home the same language that I do.

Being a sports enthusiast, I used to be surprised at seeing many British Indians waving the Tiranga (Indian Flag) on an India-England cricket match. I have questioned with myself the morality of British Pakistanis who would wrap themselves up in the Pakistani flags during Amir Khan’s boxing matches in Birmingham. Now when I find myself voting for a Nepali language-speaking contestant in an Indian singing competition, I can answer my questions satisfactorily. Now I can understand what goes through a man’s mind during such situations. There is this strong sense of inherent culture, a feeling of ethnological belonging and a bond of genealogical proximity that defines our nationalism…