All Tripura erupted in joy when local girl Sourabhee Debbarma was crowned Indian Idol in its fourth season on television.

She has become the first female Indian Idol.

Sourabhee, who hails from the India’s northeast, belted out popular numbers confidently and piped other finalists - Bengali girl Torsha Sarkar and army man Kapil Thapa. She walked away with a Rs.10 million contract with Sony TV and a car.
The result was based on public voting.

The special attractions of the event were Bollywood stars John Abraham, Katrina Kaif and Neil Nitin Mukesh, who had come to promote their forthcoming film “New York”.

Others from the Indian film and music industry, including judges Javed Akhtar, Anu Malik, Kailash Kher and Sonali Bendre, too were present to cheer the finalists.

The 22-year-old winner is petite, charismatic and adds glamour to her stage performances with her perfect moves - a plus point she has had since the beginning of the show. However, the girl has had no professional training in music.

“I can’t believe that I become the Indian Idol. I am grateful to all my fans and those who voted for me to reach the top position,” Sourabhee, 22, told IANS over telephone from Mumbai.
“It feels like I’m still at the rehearsals. I thank all of you for making a girl the ‘Indian Idol‘ and shall try to continue to entertain all of you,” she added.
“A platform like ‘Indian Idol‘ to show off her talent, getting a standing ovation from renowned personalities like Javed Akhtar, Anu Malik, Kailash Kher and John Abraham is a lifetime experience for both Sourabhee and us,” said Sunil Debbarmam, her father.
“Sourabhee’s success proves beyond doubt that there is no dearth of talent in the northeast and that all these bright youngsters need a platform or an opening to prove their capability and ability,” Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar told IANS.
“With Sourabhee’s performance, now the world would know better about the land of the legendary music maestro Sachin Dev Burman and Rahul Dev Burman,” he added.
As soon as Sourabhee was declared the new “Indian Idol“, crackers were burst in Tripura capital Agartala. Residents poured on to the streets and continued dancing till the morning to celebrate the victory