Dr. Saxena quits Hot seat mid-way, Big B surprised

Dr. Neeraj Saxena’s noble gesture on KBC 16 has set a new standard, choosing to exit early so younger contestants could get a chance.

In a historic moment on KBC 16, Dr. Neeraj Saxena voluntarily stepped down despite winning big, allowing other players a chance. This selfless act won over Big B and the audience alike.

The October 17, 2024 episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 16 commences with the rollover contestant Ranveer Raghuvanshi incorrectly answering the Rs 1, 60,000 question. He ends up taking home just Rs 10,000. He had previously won Rs 80,000. But the wrong answer costs him a loss of Rs. 70,000 and he left the show with only Rs. 10K.

Following Ranveer’s exit, host Amitabh Bachchan played the Fastest Finger First round again which was won by Dr Neeraj Saxena from Kolkata, West Bengal. Dr. Saxena serves as a Pro Chancellor at JIS University, Kolkata.

He has also worked as a scientist earlier. Dr. Saxena revealed at the KBC stage that after completing his PhD, he worked under the mentorship of former President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. Some photos of him with Dr Kalam were also shown on the screen and Dr Saxena called him as his ‘first boss.’

What happened in the episode?

Dr. Neeraj Saxena cleared the first पड़ाव easily and faced the Super Sawaal which was: In which Indian state will you find the Sri Venkateswara Temple? He correctly answered Andhra Pradesh and went on to win the super power called Dugnastraa. He then faced the question for Rs 20,000. After this, Big B asked Saxena about his experience working with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

Moving ahead in the game, the contestant got stuck at the Rs 80,000 question and used the Audience Poll lifeline. Soon, he reached the Rs 3,20,000 question and Dr Saxena pressed the buzzer for Dugnastraa. The question was: For this work, in which discipline did Manjul Bhargava receive the Fermat Prize in 2011 and the Fields Medal in 2014? The correct answer was Option A) Mathematics and the contestant won the bonus amount of Rs. 3,20,000 along with the amount for the question, Surprisingly, at this point, Dr Neeraj Saxena requested Amitabh Bachchan a rather strange thing. He said, “सर एक निवेदन है आपसे, इस पायदान पर quit करना चाहूंगा। मैं चाहता हूं, बाकी जो बचे हुए हैं उनको मौका मिले। यहां सब हमसे छोटे हैं । जो प्राप्त है वो पर्याप्त है।”

Someone playing so well, with three lifelines still left, and a good chance to win a crore (₹1,00,00,000), was quitting, why? Dr. Saxena calmly replied to stunned Amitabh’s question, “Other players are waiting, and they are younger than me. They should also get a chance. I have already won a lot of money. I feel ‘what I have is enough.’ I do not desire more.” There was a moment of silence.

In the history of KBC, it’s the first time that a contestant has voluntarily stepped down from the game to benefit others. Big B was very impressed and said, “सर, हमने पहले कभी यह उदाहरण देखा नहीं…This is your greatness and big heart and we got to learn a lot from you.”

The audience also gave him a standing ovation to Dr. Saxena as Big B said, “हम अपनी जनता को बताना चाहते हैं कि यह पहला अवसर है इस पूरे खेल के दौरान, 20 से ज्यादा वर्षों से यह चल रहा है, जब किसी contestant ने अपने साथियों के लिए यह गेम quit किया हो।” Really, it is rare to see a person like him.

At the KBC stage, Dr. Saxena recounted a memorable incident where he once told Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam that he believed Patna was his favourite city, given how frequently Dr. Kalam visited. Dr Kalam asked him what had led him to think that and he responded saying, “P for Prithvi, A for Aakash, T for Trishul, N for Nag and A for Agni, all these were the names of his missiles. Dr. Saxena shares that Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam was surprised and pleased with this. From thereon, Dr. Saxena begin his journey of making acronyms. He even reveals the full form of KBC – Knowledge Brings Confidence and also the full form of Amitabh – Amazing Minds Inspiring Thousands And Bringing Happiness.

After Dr. Saxena left the show, host Amitabh played another fastest finger first round and Sonia Rijhwani from Ulhasnagar, Maharashtra made it to the hot seat. She joined the show and her emotional story about her mother moved everyone into tears. Sonia take online tuitions and they stay at an aashram. She revealed their father abandoned them as he did not want daughters.

Soniya won Rs. 3,20,000 in the game.

White taking her seat on the prestigious TV show stage, Sonia said, “I thought, if Dr. Saxena had not quit, being the last day, no one else would have gotten a chance”. Because of his sacrifice, she got an opportunity to earn some money.

In today’s world, people are not ready to give up even a single penny from their inheritance. Selfishness is rampant. But this example is an exception.

Moral of the heart-touching story: When your needs are fulfilled, you should stop and give others a chance.