Nepal and the Nepali-speaking diaspora worldwide erupted in joy after their newest icon, Indian policeman Prashant Tamang, vanquished his closest competitor Amit Paul to lift the third Indian Idol title in Sony Television channel's hugely popular reality show.

Soon after midnight, as Bollywood actor John Abraham declared Prashant the winner of the coveted Rs.10 million contract and a sleek Maruti Suzuki SX4 car in New Delhi, ecstatic fans in Kathmandu started bursting crackers while crowds danced on the streets, screaming the 24-year-old's name again and again in delight.

As the results were announced and the Darjeeling boy's mother put the Nepali dhaka topi -- that is part of the Nepali national dress -- on her son's head, Nepal went wild with pride and joy.

Despite the lateness of the hour, spontaneous processions marched on the streets of Kathmandu in Thamel, the tourist hub, near the royal palace, Boudhanath, where the Tibetan diaspora lives, in Pulchowk, near an engineering campus, and in Pokhara town and other areas as well.

The rallies were reminiscent of another national celebration last year, when similar late night demonstrations erupted following King Gyanendra's decision to surrender the power he had seized through a coup and restore democracy.

The victory marks the culmination of a sustained campaign for Prashant in which Nepal played a considerable part.

Various organisations and individuals in Nepal had been raising funds to send SMS votes to help the boy from Tungsung village win. Determined teams went to Darjeeling on the eve of the grand finale Sunday to vote for him from there after Nepal Telecom said its SMS service could not be used to send votes.

On Monday, the beaming face of Prashant, wearing the Nepali cap and garlanded with khatas, the traditional white Nepali scarf, leapt out of the front pages of Nepal's dailies.

"Nepal's heart-throb new Indian Idol", said the Himalayan Times daily while Kantipur, Nepal's largest sold newspaper, simply said "Prashant has won". Its sister concern, the Kathmandu Post, claimed Prashant as Nepal's own with its headline "Nepali Prashant Tamang crowned Indian Idol".

Though Nepal is passing through a critical stage with its Maoist guerrillas having quit the government and begun a protest movement to foil the crucial November election, the average Nepali forgot political considerations to focus on Prashant's fate Sunday.

They also ignored the ongoing problems of Nepal's biggest party, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's Nepali Congress, that is holding a critical meeting to decide whether it will support monarchy or not.

In the small-town boy who had no formal training in music and was forced to take up a job early in life after the death of his father but still overcame great odds and nearly 30,000 aspirants to win, Nepal has found a new icon.

The Prashant frenzy will reach an even greater height Saturday when the conquering hero comes to Kathmandu to rock the capital at a live concert.

Surya Nepal, ITC's joint venture in Nepal, is sponsoring the concert to promote its newly launched Springwood brand of clothes targeting the middle class.

Two more popular Indian Idol contestants, who have already taken part in shows in Kathmandu - Ankita and Deepali - will accompany Prashant.

The trio will also participate in a concert in Pokhara city on Sunday.