KBC winner threatened by boss

Zeenews Bureau

Damoh, Madhya Pradesh: Pushpa Udyeniya, a private school teacher hit a jackpot when she won Rs 25 lacs by participating in TV show `Kaun Banega Crorepati` season 5 hosted by Amitabh Bachchan. The lady was elated and so was her husband for having won such a huge amount through a game show. However, to her horror, on her return to her home town in Madhya Pradesh on November 11, the lady was informed that her school was planning to terminate her services. The principal of the school was furious at her for not being called when she used `phone a friend` as a lifeline to help her with the answer of a question. Talking to a daily, Pushpa narrated her story and said, “I may have won `25 lakh, but I haven`t got the money yet. So, when people told me that I had lost my job, I went numb. I didn`t even contact the school authorities assuming they would ignore me. I am financially not strong enough yet to say that losing the job won`t affect me.” Pushpa could do little to control her anxiety. Her BP shot up and she had to taken to a hospital. “Since nobody from the school inquired about my absence, I thought the decision was confirmed. The last 10-15 days have been extremely stressful. I have been thinking of ways to support my family financially.” However, the KBC winner received a letter from the school authorities asking her to attend a function organized to celebrate her success. But Pushpa feels that the sudden change in the attitude of the people in her school could be due to media reports. “Shayad media ke logon ki wajah se hi unka decision badla hai. Koi kyun mujhe sammaan dega, woh bhi show pe aane ke do hafte baad (It must be because of the media reports. Had they really wanted to felicitate me, they would have done it the very next day I reached my hometown.) When I attended the function on Wednesday, the school authorities told me that my job was secure,” Pushpa said.