Kaun Banega Crorepati 11: 'Have become quite an icon in my village'

Babita Tade with host Amitabh Bachchan on the set of Kaun Banega Crorepati

The entire village is celebrating. There is a festive air around," beams Babita Tade, the woman of the moment. A resident of Anjangaon Surji from the district of Amravati, Tade has become the second crorepati on the current season of Kaun Banega Crorepati after Sanoj Raj from Bihar. The episode will air tonight.

Working as a cook at the Panchafulabai Harne Vidyalaya, little had she imagined that sitting opposite host Amitabh Bachchan would bring such generous rewards. "I have become an icon in the area. Everyone is happy for me."

An ardent fan of Bachchan, she attributes her success to the megastar who egged her "to not give up at any of the padavs [level]. He was a big source of motivation for me. He kept telling me I can do it."

As is probably true of any lesser mortal, Tade admits that she was nervous when she first met the superstar. "But he has a knack for putting the participants at ease. This helped me relax and think about the answers carefully."

It was her teenaged son Mohit who helped her register online for the quiz-based reality show. "When I got a call stating that I had been selected, I thought to myself that this is the first step and I have to complete the final step as well."

Her preparation for the Maharashtra state service exams came handy in the show that covers a host of topics from general knowledge to history. "The syllabus for the state service includes several subjects such as current affairs and general knowledge. I began preparing for it in 2016."

The last few days have been a blur for Tade, who was content in her job of preparing khichdi for the students as part of the state government's mid-day meal scheme. "I cook 30-35 kilos of rice twice a day as the school works in two shifts. The kids love to have steaming hot plates of nutritious khichdi every day," she says proudly, adding that she has no plans of giving up her job.

Quiz her what she plans to do with the prize money, and she says, "Before everything else, I want to reconstruct the local shivalay, which is in a dilapidated condition. I also want to do something for the [greater good of the] kids. I will do something for others before thinking about myself. My daughter Pallavi is 18 and wants to use the money for higher education."

Also Read: Kaun Banega Crorepati 11: Sanoj Raj says money belongs to his father

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