red, i haven't voted for prashant personally so far but if given a chance, i would certainly vote for him over any other contestant not only because of the origin but because: 1) i feel that the guy has tremendous singing potential. 2) of his fighting spirit. 3) of his cheerful and down-to-earth personality. indian idol has lot to do with popularity else there were many talented singers who auditioned but were shown an exit door because of their not-so-charming personality and other reasons that have nothing to do with singing. that allows me to believe that the competition is not all about singing. there are other shows which seek for the best "singing" talent. i am not going to put indian idol in their coterie. as for the methodology being adopted for the format of the show, i genuinely feel that implicating voting system to choose the best singer doesn't work that well in our parts of the world as it does in west (US and europe). in american idol, people won't vote for a singer just because he/she is from their home town. uniformity is an asset of the west hence discrimination is comparatively less and rare whereas in southeast asia, regionalism is bound to dictate its terms because of the non-uniformity and ethnic/racial division/discrimination. ask a gurkha working as a watchman for an indian family in india for the answer. i am all up for equality and just society but that should come in action to where it is needed--in practical world-- not in a show which is just an entertainment package to many.