World | India
Game show winner hit by bizarre charity requests
Poverty-stricken clerk who won millions on game show spends sleepless nights reading letters seeking money
- By Lata Rani, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 December 6, 2011
- Image Credit: Reuters
- Sushil Kumar reacts after winning about $1 million on an Indian game show in Mumbai October 25, 2011. Kumar, a government clerk from India's eastern state of Bihar, has become the first person ever to win about $1 million on the popular Indian version of "Who wants to be a Millionaire." Picture taken October 25, 2011.
Patna: A poverty-stricken government clerk from Bihar, Sushil Kumar, who became the first person to win Rs50 million (Dh3.5 million) on a popular game show in October has been flooded with bizarre charity requests — some people have asked him to donate money for their daughter's marriage, others want to borrow money for their children's education while others are seeking cash to build a house or temple.
Kumar's staggering win on the popular Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire hosted by cinema legend Amitabh Bachchan made him a hero overnight as many see in him a panacea for their day-to-day family woes. The victory of Kumar, who hails from north Bihar's West Champaran district, resembles the plot of the 2008 Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, whose impoverished protagonist hits the jackpot.
At a public function held on Sunday, Kumar revealed how he had been spending sleepless nights sorting out a variety of letters reaching him every day, urging him to donate money to people living in utter poverty or in urgent need of financial help since he won the cash.
Shocked
"I have been left in a peculiar situation as people drop in for help every now and then at my residence. Those who are far away or cannot meet me have been sending letters for financial help but you know I cannot solve everyone's problems," Kumar who was a chief guest at the annual day function of a local school told the media on Sunday.
One request was from a local priest who sought a huge amount on the condition he should not disclose the amount he would be donating. The priest also gave him his bank account number to deposit the money in.
"The priest has been after me to deposit the money as soon as possible, saying you will get a huge bounty from the deity if help comes soon," Kumar said.
Another person has sought two million rupees to solemnise the marriage of her daughters whereas a man from Bhilai in Madhya Pradesh has sought the same amount to meet an unspecified emergency.
"He wants this as a loan and says the money will be returned the moment he gets the loan from the bank," Kumar said, with a smile on his face. According to him, a man from Agra in Uttar Pradesh, Umapati Ambasht, on the other hand, has sought financial help to build his house.
Kumar, though, found himself in an awkward position when the students who mobbed him for his autograph at the school function ended up seeking financial aid to pursue their studies.
The demand shocked him so much Kumar asked the school administration to teach the children to develop moral strength so that they would not approach everyone for money on the grounds of being poor.
Earlier, Kumar had been flooded with representatives of various banks operating in the area who asked him invest the prize money in their banks.
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