Poor Indian clerk becomes millionaire on TV

A 27-year-old poor government clerk, who hails from an impoverished village in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, has become the country's first person to win 50 million rupees (1 million U.S. dollars) on a TV gameshow, said local TV reports Friday. Sushil Kumar correctly answered a final question to take the jackpot of the popular local edition of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" -- "Kaun Banega Crorepati" (KBC) hosted by Indian film icon Amitabh Bachchan. "Everything seems completely different. The feeling is yet to sink in. I had never thought I would be able to win 5 crore rupees, " a jubilant Kumar told the media, after cracking the jackpot this Tuesday evening. Kumar, whose win echoed the plot of the blockbuster film " Slumdog Millionaire", earns a monthly salary of 6,500 rupees (150 U.S. dollars), and got married just five months back. He works as a computer operator with the Bihar government. His brother Sunil added: "We can't believe it. The whole village have come to our house. We are worried that my dad will die of happiness." The show's 69-year-old host showered praises for Kumar. Bachchan wrote on his blog: "What a sensational day in the studios of KBC! A young man from the interiors of Bihar, earning a meagre salary of just Rs 6,500 per month, coming from the most humblest of backgrounds, reaches the hot seat and cracks the ultimate prize -- 5 cr rupees! An incredible feat!" KBC is one of India's most immensely popular TV gameshows, and has offered vastly increased prize money this season.