BRIDGING the GAP: Debojit Saha (top) with Shaan and Ismail Durbar

The crackers are still bursting in Assam. Days after a young man from the state won a much-coveted and keenly-fought singing championship on television, the state is still agog with stories about how the north-east bested the rest of the country.

For those who came in late, here are the headlines. Debojit Saha, a singing sensation from Silchar in the Barak valley, won Zee TV’s Sa-Re-Ga-Ma-Pa Voice of India contest late last month.

He was the quintessential dark horse who was not meant to win. A teenager from Lucknow had captured the hearts of judges and listeners alike, and was tomtomed as India’s favourite. And then, the east struck. An unprecedented wave of SMS’ from the northeast carried Saha to victory.

The story is a tale of resolve. And while Saha’s victory threw up accusations of regional chauvinism, it ended up closing a traditional rift in Assam ? between the two valleys of Brahmaputra and Barak. For long, it was alleged that the inhabitants of Brahmaputra valley, mostly Assamese, looked down on the primarily Bengali-speaking people of the Barak valley. But this was, clearly, not the time for divides within the stage ? so people from both the valleys came together to ensure Saha’s victory over Vinit Singh.

Anchored by Indian pop singer Shaan, the musical reality show depended on audiences voting for their favourite contestant through SMS’ and phone calls. In Assam, Debojit Saha fan clubs, students’ bodies, companies and the common people initiated a huge campaign for his victory. While the fan clubs carried out door-to-door campaigns in both the valleys, powerful students bodies ? including the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) ?publicly appealed to the people of the region to vote for Saha. And since SMS’ were the vehicle for victory, Reliance Mobile put up a number of billboards in the state calling for votes for Saha.

Many believe that NESO and AASU were instrumental in garnering support for Saha. The AASU leadership even organised a rousing reception for Saha when he came to Assam just before the grand finale. “Debojit is the pride of our region. He has proved his mettle during the competition,” declared Samujjal Bhattacharya, a senior student leader of the region, associated with both NESO and AASU.

Addressing a public gathering in Guwahati before the finals ? in a move that many thought inspired thousands of SMS ? Bhattacharya asserted, “Debojit has provided Assam and the northeast a rare opportunity to be in the national limelight. And we want to show the rest of the country that India doesn’t come to an end in Calcutta.”

Curiously, AASU’s own standing grew as it took on Saha’s cause. An Assam bandh called on February 14 by the students’ body, protesting against killing in Kakopathar in upper Assam the previous week, was total in Barak. Perhaps for the first time, the Barak valley had responded so positively to a bandh call by AASU. The students’ body believes that it was the Saha phenomenon that helped it gather support from Barak.

In the final round, Saha, 30, beat Vinit Singh, 17, by 4,58,465 votes. He had won 50.42 per cent of the total five crore votes. The prizes included a two-year recording deal with HMV and an apartment to live in Mumbai for that period.

When Saha won the competition in Mumbai, the people of Assam celebrated the February 24 evening with crackers illuminating the night sky. Huge TV screens were put up in many parts of the state for the people to enjoy the grand finale in public areas. There were some anxious moments, too, but when Saha was finally declared the winner, the mood turned joyous.

Jubilant people came out of their houses as Guwahati and Silchar stayed up till late at night. Community feasts were organised by the local people, and everybody was out on the streets. It was a night of endless celebrations. Assam, troubled by insurgency and beset by violence for decades, had not faced a night of such unadulterated excitement in ages.

But for the civil engineering diploma holder, Saha ? who resigned from a government job to find a footing in the music industry in Mumbai ?the competition was a great challenge. Not only were there some 1.2 lakh participants to begin with but Saha was often also derided as the “Voice of Assam” ? and not that of the rest of the country

There was one episode when Saha’s three rivals staged a walk out after he had been declared one of the winners of that particular round. Some claimed that an insurgent outfit (read ULFA) was campaigning for Saha ? a claim later rejected by the United Liberation Front of Assam.

But the media in Assam did its bit too to keep the Saha flag flying. Assam-based newspapers not only covered the show extensively, but also inspired readers to vote for him. Direct appeals urging the people to vote for the Silchar boy were carried in the media for several days.

Almost all the major dailies of Assam published front-page appeals with Saha’s photograph. “Vote for Debojit and make northeast No.1 in Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa,” flashed a Guwahati-based news portal.

Not surprisingly, Saha was full of praise for the local media. “I have no words to express my gratitude to the media in the region for the support extended to me during the contest. I am grateful to all sections of the people in the northeast, especially the AASU which has rooted for me tirelessly,” Saha told reporters in Silchar after the triumph.

For the moment, everyone in Assam seems to have forgotten the linguistic and cultural differences between the Brahmaputra and the Barak valley. Saha was a Bengali lad from Barak valley, but the bulk of his support came from the Assamese-led Brahmaputra valley. The passionate mood of the people wiped out the age-old Assamese-Bengali conflict that has often embittered relations. Assam was united in the real sense of the word.

David, once again, had conquered Goliath.