Basking in his new found glory, Taj Mohammad Rangrez, who created history by becoming the first crorepati in this season of Kaun Banega Maha Crorepati (Big Synergy) on Sony Entertainment Television, is a history teacher from Udaipur whose sole dream of helping his daughter see the world came true with this big win. Tellychakkar.com talked exclusively with Taj who says the feeling is yet to sink in him. “I still can’t believe that I managed to win such a huge amount of money. The feeling seems so unreal. I have been trying to get into the competition since the last two seasons. My prayers were finally answered when I got selected as one of the contestants of this season. And who would have thought that I will not only be the crorepati, but also the first one to achieve this status this season,” said Taj. When we asked him on the kind of preparation he went through for this grilling quiz competition, he replied, “I prepared myself with reading old newspapers and magazines and polishing my knowledge. I revised on a lot of current affairs and finally all my efforts fructified.” “I am not affluent with English and thus was apprehensive about being able to answer the questions properly, but thanks to the team of Big Synergy and Sony who have this facility of keeping questions in Hindi also, I was able to go through this process easily. The relief made me more confident, even though the touch screen of the fastest finger first had me in jitters. I have never operated such instruments prior to this,” he revealed. And meeting the star of the millennium Amitabh Bachchan was another reward for him, as he averred, “It was a moment of pride when I sat opposite such a legend. And it feels so surprising that a man of his stature is so simple and down-to-earth. I gifted him a special photo frame on behalf of all my villagers which he humbly accepted.” This new crorepati, whose daughter is partially blind, said he will firstly treat his daughter well and then help two orphan girls get married. When we asked him the reason of such a noble thought, he immediately replied, “You never know when someone’s prayers can do wonders for you. I believe in doing good and being humble. This is the secret of a happy life.” The tagline of the show- ‘Seekhna Bandh To Jeetna Bandh’ which promotes continued education also impressed this teacher, who went on to add, “I am 42 now and all the learning I did all these years, helped me fulfill my dream. Knowledge is very vast and you actually keep on learning till your last breath. And yes, definitely, no knowledge ever goes waste.” Taj, who was honoured by his school authorities when he went back home after the win quipped, “All my students were so eager to get themselves clicked with me that I was feeling like a celebrity myself. I told them that they have to read a lot and learn how to grow up in life. My villagers are now very keen to participate in Kaun Banega Maha Crorepati and I hope more of them will come forward after me.” As the man of the hour concluded, he did not forget to thank the Almighty and his families’ prayers that helped him achieve this feat. “This day will always be remembered by me and even if I’ll be alone on my death bed, the image of me winning the crorepati tag with Bachchan saab besides me will make me realise how worthy my life had been,” Taj observed. Well Taj, we would say that it is really impressive to see such humility in a man who just created history. Tune in to the show on 15 September 8:30 pm to see Taj’s dream getting fulfilled.