Mumbai: Thirteen years ago, she sat with her father in their drawing room, teaching him lessons from GK books. It wasn't for any MBA exam, 11-year-old Neha Dubey, a doting daughter, was in fact helping her father Ramesh Chandra Dubey prepare for Kaun Banega Crorepati.
He might have failed to answer the last question to the 1 crore jackpot but Kolkata-based businessman Ramesh Chandra Dubey still walked back home with a whopping Rs 50 lakh as he decided to quit. Within minutes, Kolkata knew who Ramesh Dubey was. Businessmen, common man, middle-class families related to this sari businessman who became a lakhpati overnight.
More than a decade after Ramesh's victory, Dubey family is rejoicing once again. Their little daughter, now 23 years old and a Clinical Psychology student in Kolkata, Neha made it to the hot seat of 'Kaun Banega Maha Crorepati' herself right opposite actor Amitabh Bachchan- the host of the show.
"So now, I am on my way back to the city of palaces from the city of dreams. A big achievement, a new milestone and loads and loads of fun with the Superstar of the Millennium, the ever charming Mr Amitabh Bachchan!" read Neha's Facebook page on October 8, while she returned to Kolkata after the show. The pre-recorded show was aired on Saturday at 8:30 pm on TV channel Sony.
Talking to IBNLive, Neha recounts the moments on the show.
"I failed in the first two rounds of fastest finger first but I calmed down and told myself I had to do it. I cleared it in the third round, my heart was pounding. Oh my god! I had done it," she exclaimed.
As she sat on the hot seat, nostalgia took over, her eyes watered and she got the KBC crew running around to get her tissues. "Amitabh ji offered me his handkerchief to wipe off my tears. They were gushing down my cheeks, they just refused to stop. It was overwhelming," she said.
But this victory for Neha came after years of trying. "I tried making calls to KBC a thousand times for so many years but I failed repeatedly. This time it was my luck," she said.
On being asked why she chose to apply for KBC, she said " When my father went for KBC, I had school exams. I couldn't go with him. When he returned he was thrilled, he narrated his experience to us. Right from that time, I wanted to go to KBC, meet Amitabh ji and play with him like my father did."
But this was not her only reason. Neha belongs to UP's Mirzapur where she has seen girls of her age fighting ills of the society as "they are not given opportunities to study, they are chained in the shackles of old, rotten tradition, they are dependant on their families and ultimately they are asked to get married at a very early age."
She wanted to set an example for such families and even her relatives who function on a similar school of thought. "I wanted to tell everyone this is what happens when you allow girls to study, when you give them education. They fly," she said.
"Everyone was shocked to see that I danced with Amitabh ji. How many people get that opportunity. I got so many calls congratulating me. It's a great feeling," she said, as her friends and well wishers continued to flood her Facebook wall with congratulatory messages.
Back in 2000, Neha's father gave away some part of the amount he won in KBC to his father, as he had promised on the show. He invested a part of it in his business and kept the rest for Neha's marriage. Life was good for Dubey family until 2 years ago when Ramesh's garment business came tumbling down due to alleged problems with his business partner. The recent turn of events in her father's life came as a setback for Neha who now wanted to help him in whichever way she could, even if that meant paying fees for her further studies.
"I felt dependant on him as I was studying then. I wanted to fund my education. It would lessen the burden on his shoulders. I knew KBC was the answer to these problems and I finally made it," she said.
She now plans to pursue M(Phil) in Clinical Psychology. That's not all. Unlike her father, Neha wants to use the prize money in starting her own helpline number for those who seek counselling. Her toll free number will provide counselling to one and all for any problems they are encountering in their lives. She always had the idea but financial investment had kept her from starting it all this while.
"Clinical psychology is not a very familiar term. My objective is to start a helpline number which will be open 24*7 and across India for anyone who wants counselling, who wants to be heard and does not have anyone to share their feelings with. We are for them," she said, calling this dream her 'long-term vision'.
Replying to how she felt sitting opposite the great Amitabh Bachchan on the show, Neha could not stop short of singing praises.
"KBC has recognised a girl from a small place called Mirzapur. It's an incomparable platform that recognises pure knowledge over everything else. As they say, Seekha band toh jeetna band," she said.
Before leaving the show, she requested Amitabh Bachchan to dance with her.
"I want to thank KBC and Amitabh ji. I had a blast on the show because of him. He is a superstar yet he is so humble and down-to-earth. It's amazing to see the humility with which he handles the contestants and makes everyone feel so comfortable," she added.
As she danced away to glory on 'Banda ye bindaas hai' with Amitabh Bachchan, her mother watched from behind, with eyes sparkling, perhaps wet, but so proud. Rs 25,00,000 lakh for a 23-year-old girl is after all a huge sum of money.
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