Sanjaya Malakar -- who grew up learning Hare Krishna bhajans from his father Vasudeva Malakar and went on to become the most controversial contender in the singing contest American Idol, and arguably its most visible and most discussed participant -- was "sent home" on Wednesday night.
Some 38 million people cast their vote, as voters have been doing the past month and half, each week, after watching the performances on Tuesday, and Sanjaya came last!
Suspense mounted Wednesday evening, as three of the show's lowest vote getters were isolated from the remaining four competitors, who were deemed "safe." And then one of the three was sent to join the "safe" group. Two more -- Sanjaya and LaKisha Jones -- were left. And then came the bad news: he was out.
Sanjaya, like many of the previous losers, fought his tears -- 'I am fine'. Sanjaya, whose ever-changing hairstyles has brought him plenty of attention, told host Ryan Seacrest, "It has been an amazing experience'.
He then sang Something to talk about, and adlibbed: 'Let's give them something to talk about... other than hair'.
American Idol, one of the hottest shows in America, which gets about 25 million viewers each week, has now six contestants left. Sanjaya, whose hairdo often drew more attention than his voice, was the butt of jokes on comedy shows but he also found support in very unlikely quarters. The highly controversial radio talk show host Howard Stern had asked some 10 million of his listeners to keep on voting for Sanjaya so that he could become the winner. Stern hates the show, and he said if Sanjaya won, it could collapse and even close down.
On Tuesday night's show, Simon Cowell, the creator of the show, and one of its three judges, flung venom at Sanjaya, calling his performance 'utterly horrendous'. He had said early on in the show he won't be with it in its next season if Sanjaya became the Idol.
But the son's defeat is seen as a cosmic act by his father in Seattle. He thought there was a divine reason for it. Sanjaya's father said good karma would be with his son and his daughter. Incidentally the senior Malakar came to America from India as a Hare Krishna pujari.
"I am very proud of the fact that he could endure a lot of criticism and reach this level," his father said in a chat over the phone. Two weeks ago Malakar had gone to Hollywood to be with his son. "We went to the Hare Krishna temple, and we prayed. He received the prasad. And I told him that whatever happens in the competition, he should take it as something good, and he should not forget there is a path of bhakti."
Sanjaya, 17, lives in Federal Way some 100 miles away from Seattle, and is also very close to his uncle's wife Christi Recchi who trained him as a gospel singer. But his father said Sanjaya has not forgotten his Indian heritage.
>"America
still loves him," said Malakar senior. "He would not have lasted so long otherwise. People of Indian origin here and in India love him. I will not be surprised if more and more Indian kids show up in this competition in its next season."
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