Pokhara:

Clad in white shirt and jeans, Indian Idol 3 Prashant Tamang waved to the assembled crowd of thousands here on September 30 and was greeted with a full-throated roar of welcome.

On behalf of the organisers Springwood, Nepali pop sensation Nimba Rumba placed the Nepali topi on Prashant’s head, kicking off the euphoria.

To the gratification of the audience, Darjeeling boy Prashant evinced his Nepali roots, rendering Nepali songs one after another and following them up with Hindi numbers. After regaling audiences in Kathmandu in the pouring rain yesterday, Prashant delighted audiences here in the warm glow of the sun. The sea of umbrellas was here also, not to ward off the rain but the sun’s rays. Not used to the heat, many among the audience who had not the foresight to lug along their brollies, swooned in the heat. The concert began 13 minutes late but went on for three hours.

Struggling against the heat and perspiring freely, Prashant bravely rendered Nasha hai nasha hai, Bheegey honth terey, enthralling all listeners. Members of the audience who had turned up at the venue after coughing up Rs 300 per head got more than their money’s worth.

Prashant’s performance held budding swains and belles, flashy teenagers and even mature people in the audience rooted to the venue. Chemistry between the performer and the audience was visible and palpable.

Thanking his Nepali supporters for rooting for him in the Indian Idol contest, Prashant recalled that he had visited Pokhara earlier also. He assured his fans a la Schwarzenegger in the movie Terminator, “I’ll be back”. However, this was an affectionate promise.

Never a one to forget anyone, he thanked the security personnel sweating it out in the hot sun for being so accommodating. Punctuating his sentences with the typical Nepali expression hai, hai, he endeared himself to the audience.

Those who could not get tickets got so impatient they burst into the venue while people in the neighbourhood watched from their rooftops and clapped at every rendition by Prashant.

Indian Idol finalist Ankita rendered five numbers, inducing the audience to float in the sea of her swar. She confessed to being amazed at the scenic beauty of Pokhara. “I am enthralled to see you people too,” she added.

Another Indian Idol finalist Deepali swayed the audience with her rendition of Mera piya ghar aya, prompting the audience to join in. Home icon Nima Rumba rounded off the concert with several of his numbers and also did a duet with Prashant.