GURGAON: For almost a decade, Pradeep sat on the hot seat at home and answered questions one after another before the actual contestant on the TV screen in front could do so. On Monday, it was his teenage son on the screen before him.All of 13, Mayank of Mahendragarh became the youngest contestant to win a crore on the junior edition of a prominent TV show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.He also won a Hyundai i20.Originally from Pali village, Mayank and his family would create a huddle around the TV screen sharp at 9.30pm, when Amitabh Bachchan would ask the nation who wants to be a millionaire? He and his father would compete for the maximum number of answers. Yes, his father won most of the days.Watching the show and our favourite actor on TV was a daily ritual for us. My father would be the most excited among us. He would imagine himself sitting on the hot seat before Amitabh Sir and answer the questions one by one. At times, he would use the lifelines – just like any other contestant on TV would do, the Class VIII student recollects.The father-son duo would also undergo practice sessions. Mayanks father Pradeep – a Delhi Police constable – had even downloaded the TV shows mobile app to create a question bank.So, when his son made it to the junior edition of the show, Pradeep prepared notes for him. I went to the show with the handwritten notes prepared by my father. I could not trust anybody more than him. He has been watching the show ever since it was launched, Mayank tells TOI. I brushed up on my GK and read newspapers to keep myself updated. I took keen interest in science topics .Pradeep is one proud father today. Nothing makes you happier than seeing your child create history on TV. He is a studious kid and ranks among the top 10 in his class. We knew he would make us proud someday. But Mayank is still uncertain about the subject he wants to pursue when he grows up. I get confused when someone asks me what I want to do in the future. I like both physics and chemistry. Maybe, I will become an engineer and build something new, he shrugs.Mayank isnt just good at studies, he takes keen interest in sports too. He plays basketball and football in school and can swing the badminton racket with ease too.But when hes not on the field, Mayank is playing gilli-danda (a game where a person hits a ball-like object with a stick) with his friends. I never want to stop playing gilli-danda, he says.Apart from losing the game, another thing that worried Mayank was his height. At 4ft 8 inches, he was worried about how he would look when posing for a photo with Amitabh Bachchan, who is more than 6ft tall. The 13-year-old decided to quit the show after winning a crore because the next correct answer would have either taken him to a prize money of Rs 7 crore or a wrong one would bring him back to Rs 3.2 lakh.Mayank wants to utilise the prize money to fund his higher education. Now in the form of points, he can redeem the amount from the bank once he turns 18.

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