Sushil Kumar the small-town boy from Bihar who won Rs 5 Crores on Kaun Banega Crorepati tells Subhash K Jha why he suddenly has more friends than he can handle.

How are you feeling?
Good. Different. Confident about life. I am getting to know people whom I had only heard and read about.

When I had gone on KBC I was so nervous that I was sweating profusely in the airconditioned studio.

But Bachchan Saab encouraged me so much. I had very little self-confidence when I went on the show. But his words boosted my morale.

Describe that moment when Mr Bachchan declared that you had won Rs 5 crores?
I just kept screaming, ‘Kya main sapna dekh raha hoon?' I just couldn't believe it.

That moment he said I had won 5 crores and he hugged me, it is the most unforgettable moment of my life. I wonder if I will ever see such a moment again.

I doubt it.
Even I do (laughs in disbelief). The man whom I had gone just to see was telling me I had won 5 crores and was hugging me. It had to be a dream.

Are you still pinching yourself in disbelief?
Sir, vishwas nahin hota hai (can't believe it). It makes me feel proud that I could do something like this, not just for myself but for my town and state.

What is the reaction to your victory back home?
Motihari is celebrating my victory. The entire town, whether they know me or my family or not, rushed to our doorstep the minute the announcement was made. When my father told me he feels his chest swell with pride I felt like a true achiever.

You must have many friends suddenly?
Oh yes. Kal tak jo mere teraf dekha nahin karte the woh mere dost ban gaye. People who never looked at me properly want to be known as my closest friends back me. People who never answered my calls are calling me.

Did you expect or hope to win Rs 5 crores?
Never! 25 lakhs was enough to transform my life. And I had gone only with that expectation. We're five brothers living in a rented house in Motihari, since our home is no more inhabitable.

So the first thing I hope to do with the KBC money is to repair our family home. My father was a manual labourer until he could no longer work due to ill health.

My brothers bring in small amounts of money. I earn Rs 6, 000. All put together we made Rs 15, 000 per month. We managed to somehow run our home.

How many family members?
Five brothers, my wife, parents, two sisters-in-law, and four children...I thought if I win Rs 25 lakhs on KBC I'd be able to look after my family.

How did you reach KBC?
I've been watching the show for the last 11 years. Earlier we didn't have a television in our home. So I used to watch it at my neighbour's. Our family faced great financial hardships. And I felt only KBC could transform our lives.

Why only KBC? There are other means of improving one's financial conditions?
Agreed. But a miraculous transformation can only happen on a medium like television. My family has a loan of approximately Rs 5 lakhs to pay off. That's the first thing I'll now do with my prize money.

And after repaying your loan?
I'll repair our family home. And then I want to invest money in the education of poor children in my area.

What if the money is misused by you and your family?
You mean after we look into all our immediate needs? I haven't thought about it. But at the moment I will focus on my dream of competing into the civil services.

Aren't you sad that a major part of your prize money would be taken away as income tax?
Not at all! I feel proud to be contributing so substantially to the national exchequer. For a boy who could barely make ends meet that's quite an achievement. I want everyone to know I am proud to be useful to our country. The country comes first. Then the family. Then myself.

Tell me about your background.
I did my matriculation from a government school in Motihari. I did my MA in Clinical Psychology. Before I got a job I earned some money by doing tuition. It was a very meager amount.

How did you inculcate the extent of general knowledge to answer 5-crore worth questions on KBC?
Dekhiye, agar seekhne-padhne ki ichcha ho to koi nahin roke sakta. No matter how small a town or humble the background the individual's vision needs to be big. I went to a small school. But all my teachers loved me.

I am a voracious reader. My room is cluttered with only books. In fact my fourth big plan for my prize money is to build a large well-stocked library in my home -own where every kind of book would be available.

How did you manage to answer all the questions on KBC?
I don't know. But I knew the answers to all the questions except one.

How does your wife feel about your triumph?
Seema is as stunned as I am. We got married this year only in May. I'd say she has brought me tremendous luck.

What have you thought of doing for her?
(shyly) Woh jo kahengi main kar doonga.

How about a world tour for both of you?
No!I'd rather see the world through books and magazines. I am a student and I'll continue to be one.

What is your immediate plan?
To go back home. They're all waiting for me. And I am anxious to return.