Ousted by militancy, ‘crorepati’ winner to rebuild Valley house

MUMBAI: Manoj Kumar Raina, the first contestant to have won Rs 1 crore in the sixth season of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC), realised one of his two biggest dreams — meeting Amitabh Bachchan. The other is to rebuild his militancy-ravaged home in Kashmir.
HT PHOTOManoj Kumar Raina (left) receives his prize money cheque from KBC anchor Amitabh Bachchan.

“In 1988, everything started going downhill. During militancy, my house in Kashmir was destroyed. We were forced to leave the place. Since then we have been living in Jammu,” said the 48-year-old, who works as an assistant with the Indian Railways and is the first contestant from J&K to get to the hot seat. “With the Rs 1 crore, I want to build a house there and also help people in the area.”
He was very happy to have won the huge amount, but said money never drove him: “My only intention was to meet Amitji and I felt that was possible only through KBC,” he said. “I found him very humble. “Since the inception of KBC in 2000, I have been trying to come on the show. Through all these years, I kept myself updated with everything happening in India and around the world. I truly believe knowledge can help you reach the top.” Raina lives in Jammu with his parents, wife and 10-yearold son, who accompanied him to the KBC sets.