Bhubaneswar: Kumari Puja, a contestant from Odisha, was in the hot seat in the latest episode of the Amitabh Bachchan-hosted reality show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati 17’.
During her interaction with Big B, Puja talked about her struggles, and how her father forced her to quit her job and get married at a very young age.
“I wanted to prove to my father that education can change everything. Everyone objected when I wanted to continue my studies beyond Class VIII,” Puja shared.
Recalling how she pursued Class X with limited resources, she said, “With just one notebook and a pencil, I completed the year. When the results came, I topped Class X. Everyone was shocked, teachers came to congratulate me because I managed without tuition or facilities.”
She further revealed that she had applied for a PhD, but couldn’t pursue it due to financial constraints.
“In 2016, the fees were Rs 12,000, while I earned only Rs 20,000 from school. I chose my job to support my family, but now I want to fulfil my dreams,” she said.
Talking about her personal life, Puja told Amitabh that she met her husband through a matrimonial site.
“I must have had good karma because he called me. I was scared to marry him but took the risk, and it turned out to be the best risk of my life,” she said.
As for the game, Puja successfully played up to the Rs 2-lakh question stage, and will be returning as a rollover contestant in the next episode.
