Parents pitch in for Amit - Vote plea for Indian Idol aspirant from Meghalaya A STAFF REPORTER Deepak Paul in Guwahati on Wednesday. Picture by Eastern Projections Guwahati, Sept. 19: He sold his favourite music system to fund his trip to Mumbai, fought off a vote-out, made a wild card re-entry and paralysed the prime-time TV regulars with his buttery baritone. Unfortunately, that is about all Amit Paul can do. The rest — which includes clinching the Indian Idol title — depends on votes. With son busy in Mumbai and just four days to go for the voting to close, Amit’s parents today made a fervent appeal to the “people of the Northeast” to come out in support of the singer from Meghalaya. Amit’s father, Deepak Paul, addressed a crowded press conference in Guwahati this evening and appealed for votes to help the “passionate singer” realise his dream. “By making it to the final of Indian Idol, Amit has proved it beyond doubt that he is a talented singer. Now it is our turn to help him change his struggle into success, as we have learnt that he is lagging behind his nearest rival in terms of votes,” said R. Choudhury, a close acquaintance of Amit. The voting lines will close at 6pm on Sunday. “Amit always wanted to be a singer and now he is on the verge of realising him long-cherished dream. When even people from Pakistan have appreciated his singing, the people from the Northeast, irrespective of their caste, creed and community, should come out in his support — not only because he is from the region but also because he symbolises quality, talent, struggle, dedication and integration of different communities of the Northeast,” said Choudhury. However, he rued that so far Amit has received votes from only a few pockets and not from the region as a whole. Amit is facing a stiff competition from the other finalist, Prashant Tamang. “Why only the Northeast, the entire country should vote for Amit because he is a talented singer and has a lovely voice,” Kalpana Audrey Ganatra, a schoolteacher of Shillong, said. Ganatra, who has accompanied Amit’s father to Guwahati, said, “There’s mass hysteria for Amit in Shillong. Even when I am in school, my students keep asking about Amit.” The Meghalaya capital in now in the throes of voting fever, to make sure that their idol wins the final. “We want that people from other states of the region should also join hands to make Amit the winner,” she added.