Thrissur: "Are you confident? Shall we lock it?" asked Amitabh Bachchan. Sitting across him on the 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' show's hot seat was Thrissur assistant collector Vinay Goyal. Without any hesitation, Goyal said, "Please lock."
There was wild cheer as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer won a whooping Rs 12.5 lakh. Thrissur too was celebrating.
Back in the city, the officer was asked what he would do with the money. Pat came the reply, "I would spend it for the benefit of students from the weaker sections of society."
All over India, people watching the popular television show were impressed by Goyal's quick, accurate answers to questions, from one to 12. The Haryana youth of the 2016 Kerala cadre was the first from the IAS to reach the hot seat on KBC, a show running for 14 years.
Goyal was a practising doctor after finishing his MBBS in 2013 when he developed an interest in IAS. He secured the 628th rank in the first attempt in 2014, and went on to enter the IAS the next year with 79th rank.