Indian \'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire\' Winner Trains Others to Win

Courtesy of Manoj Kumar Bishwas Anil Kumar Sinha who won the jackpot in the fifth season of the quiz show, “Kaun Banega Crorepati,” teaching at a coaching institute he started in Bihar to train other “K.B.C.” aspirants.

For those who dream of getting on the game show “Kaun Banega Crorepati” for its 50 million rupee-prize, one former winner, Anil Kumar Sinha, has a warning: This is no get-rich-quick scheme.

Mr. Sinha, who in September opened a coaching center in Patna in Bihar state for potential contestants, emphasizes to hi students that it takes work to get a spot on “Kaun Banega Crorepati,” the Indian version of the British quiz show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” and then it takes many hours of study to answer the questions correctly.

“When the quiz game show came on air in July 2000, I started preparing for it day and night,” said Mr. Sinha, a Union Bank of India employee. Mr. Sinha called the hotline for the show’s would-be contestants “thousands of times” until he finally got through in June 2011.

“Mostly at night I kept trying, and one day my perseverance finally paid off. I took it as my last chance and was prepared to reach to hot seat at any cost,” he said.

Contestants have to take a written test of general knowledge, after which the show’s producers select the top 10 to appear on the show. Mr. Sinha took notes, compiled general knowledge questions and practiced in mock interviews with his brother. In November 2011, all that work paid of! f â€" he won 10 million rupees ($184,000) on the show.

After his success, Mr. Sinha was inundated by phone calls, texts, e-mails and visits from people who sought tips on how to get on “Kaun Banega Crorepati.” He has written two books, the second coming out at the end of January, on the secrets of winning the quiz show, also known as “K.B.C.” In June, when he reached the show’s audition center in Patna, potential contestants flocked to him, looking for tips.

“Then I realized I should counsel the aspirants properly in a coaching institute,” he said.

After discussions with family members, he realized that it would not be wise to cater to only game show candidates, so his center also offers tutoring for all professional entry examinations, charging 8,000 rupees for six months.

Since his center opened, he has counseled about 150 people who have been called to appear on “K.B.C.” These students, who worked with Mr. Sinha on Sundays and holidays, received free counseling, ut he said he will start charging tuition in July, whose amount he has yet to determine.

He also coaches contestants by telephone, e-mail and Facebook. “Whoever wants my help through any medium, I’m always ready with my tips to support them,” he said.

One of his students, Vineet Kumar, 28, credited Mr. Singh for his good showing in September, when he won 640,000 rupees on “K.B.C.”

“When I received the call from ‘K.B.C.’ for my selection, there was very little time left for the preparation, and I had no clue at all how to go about it. Then I got in touch with Anil Kumar Sinha, and the rest is the result.”

Mr. Sinha said for contestants, it’s not enough to amass knowledge. “I teach them how to position your finger to hit the ‘fastest finger first’ fast, how not to lose your cool and how to make optimal use of your lifelines,” he said. He also shared tips on how to get through the hotline for contestants.

Besides luck and hard work, Mr. Sinha als! o credite! d his success on the show to his extended family of 14. “It was the love, respect and mutual trust among our family members that gave me strength to prepare all through 11 years to hit the jackpot,” he said.

In fact, it was his younger brother, Pravin Kumar Sinha, who helped him answer the 10 million-rupee question correctly through the “phone a friend” option: “Who was the youngest person to reach the peak of Mount Everest” (Answer: Jordan Romero.)