From humble beginnings to being the principal of a reputed school

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.”

- Vince Lombardi

It is a dream of many people to occupy the hot seat of the most popular TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati. The majority of people do not have confidence in them, so they don’t even try to enrol as a contestant for KBC. It was on 26 October 2013 that I saw Mr Surendra Kumar Sharma on the hot seat in front of the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, who happens to be his role model. His simplicity, self-confidence and enthusiasm impressed me. I could see that Surendra Kumar was a self- made man. He is occupying the coveted post on the sets of KBC with legendary Amitabh Bachchan of the Principal of an English-medium school Universal Academy in Kashipur, Uttarakhand. It happens to be one among the chain of schools managed by a Delhi-based organisation.

It took me some time to get the contact details of Surendra Kumar Sharma. After talking to him, I found that his success story could inspire many others. He was born in 1971 in a small farmer’s family at Sadanpur village, Noorpur district, Bijnor (UP). The village was so backward that there was no school. Surendra started his schooling in a ‘madarasa’ (a school run by the Muslim community) where he learnt the Hindi alphabets. Thereafter, he studied in a government school in Noorpur up to Class X and passed Class XII from Feena Village nearby in the Chandpur in district Bijnor. Surendra aspired to be an engineer, but his father clearly said that he will not be able to afford his education anymore. Some people ridiculed him and made fun of his ambitions. This could not dampen his spirits from soaring high. So, he decided to earn money and continue his studies.

Being good in studies, he started giving tuitions. He also started a small tea stall, but having no experience, he incurred losses and closed it down. His urge to do something was so strong that he did marketing and shop-to-shop selling of biscuits and snacks. He even tried his luck in the insurance sector, without losing hope. Having completed B.A. as a private student, he did M.A. (Economics) and subsequently, passed the B.Ed. examination. His interest in poetry and shayari made him popular among his friends.

"I want to see this Universal Academy School on the top in this locality and then to become the Principal of some reputed CBSE school in a big city"

Surendra took up the job of a teacher in Kashipur. Reading books of Swami Vivekananda, he applied his philosophy in his life. Hard work and sincerity, coupled with a desire to learn something new, soon brought its rewards. Surendra became the Principal of an English-medium school. Exuding self-confidence, he said, “I didn’t allow my Hindi-medium background to become my weakness.” He likes to compose poems in English, and does not hesitate to ask his English teacher in school to correct them. Being a devotee of Lord Balaji, Surendra Kumar does not believe in instilling fear among the students or teachers. When asked how he maintains discipline, he said, “I don’t criticise the teachers, or point out their shortcomings. Rather, I inspire them by setting a good example.”

Surendra had been trying to participate in the popular TV show KBC for the last five years but could reach only up to the second level. In 2013, he got a call from the Mumbai office and was called to Chandigarh. Here, the contestants were asked to answer a questionnaire to check their general awareness.

Having cleared that, he was called to Mumbai “Although arrangements for stay were made in a nice hotel, yet I could not sleep the whole night because of the excitement of meeting Amitabhji the next day,” recalls Surendra. The shooting of KBC took place in Yashraj Studio. “After clearing the ‘fastest finger first’, when I was invited to the hot seat, I touched the feet of Amitabh Bachchan, and he hugged me affectionately. I answered seven questions correctly, and won the prize money of Rs.3,20,000. I didn’t know the answer to the eighth question, which was worth Rs.6,40,000. Having three lifelines alive, I went for an audience poll. To my bad luck, the answer given by the audience turned out to be wrong. I didn’t give a second thought, and ‘locked it’. In this way, I had to quit the game with the basic sum of Rs.40,000 only,” said Surendra in a nostalgic mood. He cautions future aspirants of KBC to prepare thoroughly, listen to the questions carefully, and not to take decisions in a hurry. When asked about his future plans, Surendra said, “I want to see this Universal Academy School on the top in this locality and then to become the Principal of some reputed CBSE school in a big city.” Talking about his happiest moment in life, he said, “…reaching the hot seat and sitting face-to-face with Big B.” In his message to the upcoming teachers, he said, “self-confidence, sincerity and dedication are the ingredients of success.”